2020 — a year when so many reflected on their priorities — launched a handful of incredible new wineries. Almost all personal in origin, projects born from this year feel extra special.

We spoke about this last year with Sonia Gambino, whose winery, Gustinella, was born from isolation in Sicily. And now, we have Vinas Mora: a homecoming for a New York wine professional who caught a plane back to his home country of Croatia and settled into the coastal Mediterranean town of Primošten. Before long, he began a new chapter: a natural winery focused on a single grape, found throughout the white-limestone coast of his homeland.

Taking inspiration from Frank Cornelissen's deep focus on site through minimal inputs and small parcels, Vinas Mora highlights how delicious and diverse this corner of Croatia is.

If you’re in or around the NYC natural wine community, there is a high likelihood you’ve been in the room—or even met—Krešo Petreković. He’s a former sommelier and has worked on the import side of natural wine for years. When the pandemic hit in 2020, he made the decision to trade his NYC apartment for the coastal region of Primošten, where he had a home to retreat to.

Primošten also happens to be a beautiful coastal region for wine. Deeply Mediterranean in climate (if you drag your finger across the Adriatic on the map, you’ll bump into Italy’s Marche region), it's defined by Crvenica soils—dissolved limestone and dolomite—and one grape: Babić. A darkly colored, thick-skinned varietal that thrives in this iron-rich soil.

The combination of seaside air, warm days, and iron-rich soils informs the best wines here. And it’s clear that Krešo knows this.

Not long after landing in the region, he teamed up with two others, including Niko Dukan (one of the talents behind Karakterre), and founded Vinas Mora in an abandoned co-op winery. They work with local farmers to source old vines from the Primošten hills; the oldest (going into the top wine) are 100 year old bush trained vines grown in Crvenica soils with little-to-no top soils:

Photos via Chase Granoff and Krešo Petreković, Zev Rovine Selections

Petreković works to tame Babić’s heft (locally, it can be made quite ripe and rich); he picks with a potential ABV of 13-13.5%, destems for a native fermentation and, a key in all the wines, macerates very quickly. No wine sees more than 5 days of maceration, taming the grape's tannic potential. And, all see some time aging for a year in both fiberglass and 500L neutral barrels before being bottled with a small amount of sulfur.

There is a throughline of blue fruit, chalk and salt in all of these wines. But, as you go up in vine age, a northern rhone smokiness emerges bringing spice, for a diverse and delicious look at this beautiful region.

2022 Vinas Mora, Andreis Red, Croatia $38
The easiest drinking of the three wines here, coming from certified organic, 25 year old vines. Shortest maceration in the lineup.

2021 Vinas Mora 'Kaamen', Primorska Hrvatska, Croatia $42
All bush trained vines, fermented in 1000L cask. Saltier, firmer then the Andreis but with the same delicious blue fruit.
2022 Magnum 1.5L, $84

2022 Vinas Mora 'Kaamen II', Primorska Hrvatska, Croatia $60
From 60 till 80 years old bush trained vines, incredibly low yielding, creating a more heavily spiced profile.
2022 Magnum 1.5L, $128

2021 Vinas Mora 'Kaamen III', Primorska Hrvatska, Croatia $65
The ‘magma’ in the range, if you will. From the oldest vines (up to 100) that yield less then a .5kg per vine. Powerful, long. Impressive bottling.
2022 Magnum 1.5L, $188

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