Kraljevski Vinogradi Winery

On exceptionally favorable land above Petrčane and the Punta Skala tourist resort, Zoran Pantalon, together with his colleagues, leased land from the Benedictine nuns in 2010 and immediately began cleaning and deeply plowing the karst terrain. A few months later, they started planting vines. Two years later, the first grapes were harvested, albeit in small quantities. The land used by the winery today was donated nearly 900 years ago by King Petar Krešimir IV to the Benedictine nuns, who planted vines on the foundations of an old monastery until the end of World War II. After regaining possession in 1996, the nuns leased the land for 50 years, but viticulture ceased decades before the winery resumed work. The winery is located on 23 hectares of land, with about 180,000 vines planted, while another 120,000 vines grow on 15 hectares in Zaton. The majority are planted with indigenous Dalmatian varieties such as Plavac Mali, Pošip, and Crljenak, while smaller portions include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Plavina, Chardonnay, Žilavka, Sauvignon, and Muscat Yellow. The wines of Kraljevski Vinogradi are branded in two lines. The first, a premium line named Punta Skala, includes Pošip, Rosé, Crljenak, Plavac Mali, Muscat, Žilavka, and Chardonnay. The second line, Grgur Vinski, named after Bishop Grgur Ninski, offers Pošip, Plavac, and a Rosé made from Plavac and Crljenak.