Winemaking step-by-step in boutique winery Duboković on the sunny island of Hvar

19 Nov

Written By Sara Rasmussen

Winery Duboković — *Winemaking in Ivo Duboković winery in Jelsa on the sunny island of Hvar. Here the grapes are fermenting using natural yeast.*

The 2021 harvest exceeded all expectations and by now all grapes have been picked and vinified. However, not everyone knows the details of the winemaking process. For this reason, I wanted to take you through the process, step by step. Here at the boutique winery Duboković on the sunniest island in Europe.

Grapes are grown on the sunny slopes on the South side of the island where land meets the sea (obviously without any additives)
Grapes are picked by hand when the time is just right (only a winemaker can know)
Grapes are brought to the cellar where they are gently pressed to extract the juice that is to become wine
Fermentation happens naturally with the wild yeast present in the cellar
Punch down of the skins is done manually
After the bubbly process of fermentation is over the wine undergoes the first racking after which the slow fermentation continues for a couple of days
The young wine is introduced to the barrels where it will be ageing for the next 18 to 24 months. Or longer as is the case with the label Medvid

Sunny vineyard on Hvar

Handpicked grapes

Wine press

Pressed grapes

Fermentation

Ivo trying the wine

Eventually, this wine will become Duboković famous labels 2718 sati sunca u boci, Prije 6009 godina, Medvid and Medvjedica.

If you don't want to wait for the 2021 labels to hit the market you can find Ivo Duboković's best labels Medvid and Medvjedica from 2015 in our webshop >>