Generations of Lumbarda vintners have been improving grape growing and winemaking for more than 2,300 years. Branimir Cebalo has continued a family tradition and also added his personal touch. It has by now brought him wide recognition and many Croatian and international awards. But his up-to-date little winery just below the village church, produces only 250 to 400 cases of Grk and 100 cases of Plavac a year.

Rare and native grape varieties now get more and more attention from wine lovers all over the world. Many of them fell into oblivion over the centuries but we can still today enjoy wine from those varieties that were precious enough to be preserved in spite all the difficulties faced in their cultivation.

Grk is one of these - an ancient variety of white grape. It has been growing in the sandy vineyards of the village of Lumbarda on the island of Korčula for over two thousand years. We do not know whether it got its name from its refined bitter taste (grk means bitter, or tart, in Croatian), or from the Greeks, who established a settlement in the area back in the 3rd century B.C. and brought their precious winemaking knowledge with them.

Rare and native grape varieties now get more and more attention from wine lovers all over the world. Many of them fell into oblivion over the centuries but we can still today enjoy wine from those varieties that were precious enough to be preserved in spite all the difficulties faced in their cultivation.

Grk is one of these - an ancient variety of white grape. It has been growing in the sandy vineyards of the village of Lumbarda on the island of Korčula for over two thousand years. We do not know whether it got its name from its refined bitter taste (grk means bitter, or tart, in Croatian), or from the Greeks, who established a settlement in the area back in the 3rd century B.C. and brought their precious winemaking knowledge with them.

In addition to Grk, Lumbarda also grows Plavac Mali - a variety of red grape chosen not only for its good wine, but also to help grow the Grk. Unlike most varieties the Grk vine has only female flowers, so to achieve fertilisation it needs a pollinator that flowers at the same time.

Plavac Mali is a variety native to southern Dalmatia. It is Croatia's most popular red wine and the one best known abroad. Its high reputation for over six centuries used to obtain top prices among Dalmatian red wines. The best Plavac Mali comes from the steep south-facing slopes on the islands of Brač, Hvar, Vis, and Korčula and from those of the Pelješac peninsula. Lumbarda also produces a Plavac Mali of high quality.

Cebalo's red wine comes from Plavac Mali grown among his Grk vines. The sandy soil, the excellent sunshine and the cool sea breeze at night together produce a dry, dark-red wine with a rich bouquet embedded in a cultivar aroma and a warm, full and refined, well rounded velvety taste.

Plavac Cebalo goes well with fine foods such as dark meats, especially wild game or tuna, and also with strongly flavored quality cheeses. It should be served at 18 ºC.