Dubrovnik: Wine Tasting on Pelješac Peninsula
The Pelješac Peninsula, a scenic stretch of land jutting out into the Adriatic about an hour north of Dubrovnik, is an idyllic place to visit. Home to quaint villages, a beautiful coastline and miles of rolling vineyards, Pelješac is famous for producing fine wines, salt and world renowned oysters. It’s a perfect day trip to escape from the city, especially in the summer on a day when several cruise ships are in port.
Jas and Erin, my new friends from the G Adventures Sailing Trip, are in town for one more day and hired a private driver to go wine tasting on the peninsula. They invited me to join and I figured this was the perfect way to transition from being out on the water to being back on land. Maybe several wine tastings will help neutralize my sea legs.
After an hour drive north along the beautiful coastline, we arrived in Mali Ston at the southern end of the peninsula. This village is famous for its mussels and large flat oysters picked right from the narrow channel separating the peninsula from the mainland. Mali Ston and it’s larger sister village, Ston, are connected by a 5.5 km defensive wall, the second longest stone wall in Europe. The walls were constructed in the 14th century when Dubrovnik (then known as the city-state of Ragusa), extended its influence over the Pelješac Peninsula, whose salt production was of great economic importance. For centuries, the walls protected Dubrovnik’s independence and allowed for stable commerce.
We sat down for lunch on the patio of Kapetanova Kuća looking out on the port of Mali Ston. I’m not a huge fan of oysters, but several years ago Condé Nast Traveller ranked eating a Mali Ston oyster 7th on their “50 Things to do Before You Die” list. Mali 
Ston has been famous for their sea shell cultivation since the days of the Roman Empire and their oysters are still world renowned, so I wasn’t going to come here and not try one. However, I’m not an oyster connoisseur, so I can’t really comment on how a Mali Ston oyster compares to the other oysters of the world… But I also ordered mussels and those were yummy!
After finishing our Mali Ston gastronomic experience, we headed to our first winery, Miloš in neighboring Ston. Frano Miloš was one of the first winemakers from the Pelješac peninsula to earn an international following. After the collapse of communism, he started buying land from various state wineries, allowing him to grow his production and develop his popular “Stagnum” wines. Today Miloš is still family-owned and has earned a reputation as one of the best wineries on the peninsula thanks to the quality of their strong and elegant wines. They also make some really good olive oil, which has won various prestigious awards around the world and we got to sample that as well!
Next we headed to Grgić Vina in Trstenik, established in 1996 by global wine superstar, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich. Born into a winemaking family in Croatia, Grgich fled his home country at the age of 31 to escape communist rule and landed in Napa Valley where he eventually opened his own winery, now named Grgich Hills Estate. He received international attention and winemaking success when his Chardonnay won first place at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. After Croatia gained independence, Grgich opened Grgić Vina on the Pelješac Peninsula, to make fine wines and bring his home country the latest in modern winemaking techniques. The wines we tasted here were excellent and the views were even better!
Our last stop was Matuško Winery in Potomje, with it’s signature donkey-labeled wine and beautiful tasting room. The staff is extremely friendly and was happy to pour us a taste of their entire line-up before giving us a tour of their extensive cellar used for 
private events and parties. Their Plavac Mali, a local grape that makes a very smooth, well-balanced red, is fantastic and very reasonably priced. And it’s fun to drive through the Dingać tunnel cutting through the hill that separates the town of Potomje from the coast not only for the views, but also to see the vineyards high above you covering the hillside.
Back in Dubrovnik, I checked into my hotel just inside the Old Town walls and was very thankful to see a King bed. It looked huge, but I guess that is to be expected considering where I slept for the last seven nights on the boat was probably about a fifth of the size. I met Erin and Jas for dinner and drinks and was sad to say good-bye to them at the end of the night, but I know we’ll keep in touch and get together back home in the States. It’s hard spending an entire week surrounded by a group of people and then realizing you’ll be on your own for the next couple days, but I’m very thankful I have more time here to explore Dubrovnik!