Description: One of the people in our travel group had mentioned wanting to go to D’Vino a couple of times over the weekend and after dinner at Wanda, we didn’t have far to go to sample their wines. The L-shaped bar is marginally larger than Talir but had the same cosy feel. Like Talir, it is compact, squeezed into one of the steep side alleys that shoots off from Stradun.
The menu is fairly straightforward although the obvious choice is to try a flight. While I opted for a single glass of Dingac, the flight includes a glass of Plavac (from grapes grown inland), Postup (from grapes grown on the hillsides sheltered from the sea) and Dingac (from grapes grown on the hillsides facing the sea). At least that’s what I gleaned from their leaflet that accompanied the wine flight. They all essentially come from the same variety of grape though – Plavac Mali, which is indigenous to Croatia.
For groups, or thirsty individuals, they also sell bottles and they have cheese platters and cake available for snacking. I did see one couple nip out for a bag of chips and mayonnaise and the bar staff didn’t seem to have any qualms letting them back in to enjoy their wine with the French fries. Each to their own I guess.
There was stool seating at the bar as well as a few tables and one slightly more comfortable area at the back with sofa seating. The wine flights are served rather carefully and elegantly and in a way that I could never successfully pull off so many times in one evening. The bartender carries the three small glasses to the table in a coathanger-esque carrier, sets them down and then gently removes the carrying device from the stems of the glasses.
In contrast to the attempts of sophistication, D’Vino has a bizarre array of cartoons and graffiti dotted around and I can only think that the owners and staff fancy themselves as poets and artists as well. The artwork even extends to the toilet, where a tiny chalkboard above the urinal notifies customers: "Our aim is to keep this toilet clean. Your aim will help". Overall, the scribblings distract a little from what D’Vino is. On the surface it’s a wine bar but the staff are fantastic ambassadors for winegrowers across Croatia. The night we visited, Frano was behind the bar and what he told us about the local wines was impressive given his young age. Not only was he knowledgeable, but he also seemed genuinely passionate about the business.
As we had been considering a self-guided trip to the Peljesac peninsula, we asked Frano for his recommendations on which wineries to visit. He proceeded to write down not only the names of his top five vineyards, but also wrote notes on which wines we might want to buy and whether they were expensive or more affordable. In fact he spent a good ten or fifteen minutes thinking about and writing the list which we took with us a couple of days later.
If you don’t have time to visit the wineries in person, D’Vino is probably one of the best introductions to Croatian wines in Dubrovnik. If you do have the time to travel to the Pelsejac peninsula then getting advice from D’Vino staff is invaluable and if you’re not keen on driving yourself, they organise guided tours as well.
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