Kastel Sikuli Winery

Kaštel Sikuli is a family-owned boutique winery that has been on the market since 2019, or the 2018 harvest. The winery owns a vineyard in Kaštel Novi spanning 13,000 square meters and two smaller vineyards in the inland of Dalmatia with 3,000 vines.

Driving along the Kaštela coastal road, the average passerby sees the natural extension of Split in the form of the seven Kaštela. These Kaštela are primarily known for their residential potential and numerous young families who have settled in these beautiful places that simultaneously offer the vibe of a big city due to their proximity to Split, as well as the charm of a small Dalmatian village with promenades, beaches, and plenty of family houses.

However, nothing embodies the feeling of Dalmatia in Kaštela like the family vineyards that revive the millennium-old tradition of winemaking in these areas, one of which is the Sikuli winery that we eagerly visited.

Beginning in Viticulture

“We bought our first vineyard in 2009, but it was only for family grape sales because my son lived in Zagreb, and my father was dedicated to his work at the ‘Stina’ winery,” says one of the owners of the winery, Ivan Kovačević, recounting the beginning of his journey in this profession. Viticulture is primarily a passion, but it also requires knowledge that is honed over years in the industry. Founder Ivica, his son Ivan, and the entire family have been at the forefront of viticulture and wine production for decades, allowing them to blend tradition with modern knowledge and skills.

“When we bought the vineyard, we found over 10 different grape varieties,” Ivan tells us. This is a standard issue with traditional vineyards, which, safeguarded by numerous past plagues such as downy mildew, have developed the cultivation of multiple varieties within one vineyard, guaranteeing at least partial yields even in the worst years. “Over half of that vineyard was planted with Plavac Mali, which is not ideal for the northern slopes of the Kaštela hills,” Ivan emphasizes, and here the years of experience in the industry come into play, as the decision is made to change the variety most suitable for this region.

Within the vineyard itself, a transition from ten varieties to two has been made, which are ideal for this region: Pošip and Crljenak. This blend of passion and modern knowledge has led this small vineyard with 10 varieties from 2009 to 2023 to sell its wine in a restaurant with two Michelin stars, which is evidence enough of the quality that Ivica Kovačević claims is most important in wine production.

Vineyard and Varieties

“Most people focus on the wine variety, but what really guarantees quality is the ideal combination of terroir with the variety.” As emphasized by the Sikuli winery, it is not only the variety that matters but also how that variety behaves in its microclimate. Plavac Mali was initially dominant in the Kaštela vineyard they inherited, but this variety is ideal for the southern slopes of the Dalmatian islands due to its sensitivity and harvest time, which is usually in mid-October.

This works well on the islands due to higher temperatures and less rainfall, but on the northern slopes of the Kaštela hills, temperatures can drop, and other more resistant and earlier varieties are more suitable for this area. In the case of the Sikuli winery, the two ideal varieties for the Kaštela vineyard are Pošip and Crljenak. Pošip is harvested at the end of August, while Crljenak is harvested at the beginning of September, allowing for the retention of a production rhythm for both red and white wine in a sufficiently short yet adequately spaced time before the rainy season.

Expanding the Vineyards

“Just because we don’t have ten varieties in one vineyard doesn’t mean we can’t have 10 varieties in 10 vineyards,” Ivan tells us. Aware of the importance of diversification and lessons learned from the past, Ivica and his son decided to create two additional vineyards to expand production, in Glavice and Suhač, both places in the vicinity of Sinj, which also boasts viticulture and the production of the favorite drink of this region, wine. The vineyard in Glavice features the well-known black grape often seen on the slopes of the wine-growing Sinj region, Merlot. This versatile grape is used to produce rosé, while Chardonnay from Suhač is used to produce sparkling wine.

Wines

The Sikuli winery is a good example of diversified production in viticulture, with its wide range of wines:
Kaštel Sikuli Pošip: This white wine from the Sikuli winery has 13.5% alcohol and boasts greater minerality than the famous Pošips from the island of Korčula, where most of this variety is planted in Croatia. An excellent wine for all lovers of Dalmatian white wines.
Kaštel Sikuli Kaštelanski Crljenak: This aromatic red wine with 14.5% alcohol is the trademark of Kaštela viticulture, and Kaštelanski Crljenak from the Sikuli winery is a beautiful example of this increasingly popular variety.
Kaštel Sikuli Rosé: Making a good rosé is difficult, which is why it’s not surprising that Ivica and his son took on this challenge and succeeded, in our humble opinion.
Kaštel Sikuli Sparkling Wine: Every sparkling wine is unique, but the Sikuli winery’s sparkling wine is an interesting combination of 50% Pošip and 50% Chardonnay, with over 2000 bottles produced by 2022 and planned exponential production increases in the future.

Other Activities

The Sikuli winery is known for producing premium wines, but also for the experience it provides to its guests and visitors. Unlike many wineries, 40% of the total production is sold within the winery itself, while about 30% is exported and 30% is distributed to selected restaurants. This enviable percentage of direct sales can be attributed to wine tasting tours, which are booked throughout most of the summer through active collaboration with hotels and agencies.

The winery also collaborates with numerous local cultural centers such as the Kaštela Museum, with which it produces replicas of wine glasses over 2000 years old. This will provide guests of both the museum and the winery with an interesting educational experience complemented by premium wines served in these glasses, which perfectly symbolizes this winery—a blend of a millennium-old tradition of winemaking in these areas with all the benefits of the modern age.