RARE GRAPE VARIETAL RESOURCE

The kadarun vineyards are located in the municipality of Trebinje in Herzegovina, in Konavle (Croatia) and in the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, along the UNESCO World Heritage rocky inlets. In this area, the vines are perfectly adapted to the combination of two climates: Mediterranean and continental, which contributes to the excellent ratio of sugar to acidity in the grapes.

The clusters of kadarun are compact and curved, they weigh between 200-300 g and measure between 10-15 cm. The colour of the berries is light black. The sugar content is 15 to 18 g, with a favourable relationship with the acidity content.

Kadarun vines grow on loose, sandy soils, but also in the rockier areas of Herzegovina. This variety tolerates both extreme drought and long periods of rainfall. Harvesting takes place during the second half of September.

Due to the small quantities and limited production, kadarun is rarely made into wine on its own. More often, wines made from the vinification of several local grape varieties are found on the market, such as plavka, dalmatinka, surac and, more recently, vranac. The resulting wine is perfect with red meat, ham and smoked carp.

Traditionally, the national wines of Herzegovina were made from different varieties. With the arrival of monovarietal wines, produced by state-owned companies in the 1960s, the expansion and spread of more productive cultivars led to the abandonment of native varieties, such as karadun.
An ancient wine cellar dating back to Roman times was found during archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the Monastery of St Peter and St Paul on the Petrovo Polje plateau near Trebinje. As with plavka, however, it is believed that the production of kadarun-based wines began during Austro-Hungarian rule at the end of the 19th century.

Kadarun is sporadically cultivated, which is why it belongs to the category of endangered varieties. Today there are only a few commercial producers in the area, most of them with estates of less than 2 hectares, while a few are dedicated exclusively to self-growing.

Kadarun is a variety that must be protected and safeguarded because of its excellent organoleptic properties, its resistance to disease and pests and its adaptability to the climate of the production area.

(Courtesy of Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity – Ark of Taste) https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/kadarun-grape-variety/