Hello, I’m Tribidrag (Crljenak, Zinfandel, Primitivo…)
- 27.01.2017.
Tribidrag is an old and almost forgotten indigenous Croatian wine grape variety, which has been undergoing a revival in recent years, thanks to Zinfandel’s reputation, a grape variety that has attained a cult status in the United States. As the third most widespread wine grape variety, Zinfandel is produced by more than 250 winemakers and bottled with over 4,800 different labels.
Considering it to be their indigenous wine grape variety, the Americans wanted to protect Zinfandel in 2001. Coincidentally, it was in that same year that DNA profiling revealed that Zinfandel was actually originating from Croatia. Dr. Carole Meredith, Professor at the University of California at Davis, after years of research into the origins of the most popular American grape variety, confirmed that Italian Primitivo was genetically identical to Zinfandel and that Croatian Plavac mali was genetically related to Zinfandel. She then realised that the search for Zinfandel’s roots should be continued in Dalmatia.
Genetic analyses have shown that Tribidrag is genetically related to several other Croatian native varieties and parent of currently the most important Dalmatian red wine grape variety, Plavac mali, as well as that it is grown under the name Primitivo in Italy and under the name Zinfandel in California.
In Croatia, its homeland, the production of this grape variety has been long neglected, but the facts that it used to be one of the most important varieties in Dalmatia and that it gives excellent wines in Italy and California are sufficient proof of its great economic potential. That’s why in the last ten years Tribidrag has been increasingly cultivated in Croatia on a large acreage and getting economically important again.
First International Conference on the Tribidrag Variety will be held April 27-28, 2017, Hotel Park 5*, Split, Croatia.
