Driving from Dubrovnik to Split ~ Croatia Day 4

Time to move on to our next destination ~ Split, Croatia.  There are two routes - the highway or the scenic coastal route - we took the latter. The views of the Adriatic Sea were endless - it was a cool morning and it was nice to drive with WAY less traffic, windows down, enjoying the views. 

We decided to drive through the Peljesac Peninsula so that we could enjoy Croatian vineyards and some wine tasting. We ended up at Matusko Winery and wow - were we glad that we did!

We walked in thinking that the wine tasting would be like that we have experienced in the states: stand at the bar, taste some wines while learning about each wine, that then move onto the next winery. Nope, not here. We walked in and asked about wine tasking - there were different options of flightes from which to choose, so we chose one with one white, one rose, and two reds.  However before we tried any wines, we were first given a tour of the wine cellars. Apparently that is how they do it at Matuska Winery ~ well okay then! 😀

We learned a lot about the Peljesac Peninsula and wine making - such as how the slopes of the perimeter of the peninsula are hotter that the "bowl" of the interior, thus the different type of grapes that are grown. The cellars were very interesting.....

Once our tour was done, a small table was set up for us with water and a wine glass. The tasting pours were very generous and we had a long drive ahead of us, so we shared a tasting, which was perfect. Maja, our guide and sommelier, poured the four tastings that we had chosen. However, it was not: pour, taste, pour, taste, etc..... It was pour, learn, taste, relax a while. When ready, again: pour, learn, taste, relax a while. It was quite the experience and one we had not had in all of our tastings: We tried:

• Posip - a white wine we like very much
• Rose Selection - a very light rose that we didn't love
• Postup - a fruity red that we both liked
• Dingac - a heavier red that Brad enjoyed more than Suzanne. This is the wine that this winery is known.

We bought a bottle of the Posip and while we had originally planned to stop at other vineyards/tastings, we figured that nothing would top this experience, so onward we drove, but not without first driving through the one-lane tunnel.....

.....to see the grapes used to make the Dingač wine.

We finally arrived at our next Airbnb at 6pm - so a log day of driving - more than we expected, to be honest. This Airbnb does not compare to the one in Dubrovnik, but we knew that it would not. Suzanne was pretty excited about a larger shower - the one in Dubrovnik was small and hard to shave her legs - but she did not expect to share the shower the with hot water heater! 😆

(Notice, too, that the washing machine drains into the tub!🙃)