If you drive out to the end of the Pelješac Peninsula in Southern Dalmatia you can take short ferry ride to the island of Korčula. Lush with pine forests and Mediterranean herbs, wine has been the backbone of the island’s economy since before the Greeks. Interestingly and despite being so close to Dubrovnik you will see a relief of St. Mark’s Lion (the lion of Venice) on the old city gate. For roughly 400 years up until the early 1800’s Korčula was a part of the Venetian Empire. The architecture and food still harken back to that era. There is even a stone statue with inscriptions for regulating the production of wine from 1407. The Toreta story begins with Frano Banicević’s great grandfather who not only founded the winery, but dutifully wrote down everything about winemaking and working in the vineyard as well. Today, Frano is picking up where his great grandfather left off. A young winemaker who had his first son during the 2013 harvest, he is pushing himself to better understand the land and build something his son will be proud of. Toreta is also the local name for small round stone shelters built to protect workers from the fierce winds and elements.

Originally covered with nearly 4000 hectares of grapes, once Phylloxera hit the late 1800’s, that number dropped to currently around 450 hectares. During the pre Phylloxera days, 70% was devoted to red grapes. That has now shifted to over 70% white grapes dominated by Pošip. Frano farms roughly 5 hectares in the Smokvica area just below the winery. As you approach the vineyards from the town perched high above, you can see the Adriatic just over the hill. Humidity is an issue, so having the right exposure and protection from these coastal winds is crucial. Pošip is also high in sugar, early ripening, and thin skinned, so avoiding sunburn is equally crucial. The yields are typically around 1.5 kilo per vine and the soil is predominately red and iron rich.

Though a young producer with access to far more modern tools than his great grandfather, Frano’s approach in the cellar is respectfully restrained. Pošip is by nature a heady grape and Frano works to accentuate the subtleties. The 2013 vintage was hand harvested and fermented entirely in stainless steel and macerated on the skins between 2-6 hours. When the native yeast populations exist, he lets the fermentation go, but will use selected yeasts to guarantee dryness. He’s clean and organized in the cellar, but by no means dogmatic.