DOBRA ZEMLJA WINERY AND ZINFANDEL GRAPES

Adam S. Etervich

Croatians have had wineries and vineyards in California since the 1850’s. The first winery in Nevada was organized by the Milatovich Clan prior to 1900. The contribution of Croatians was from the 6000 acre Divisich table grape empire in the San Joaquin Valley to the prize winning Mike Grgich wines of the Napa Valley in California. Croatians brought their wine growing expertise from Dalmatia on the shores of the Adriatic Sea to shores of the Pacific Ocean in California.

Dobra Zemlja Winery

In 1985 Milan and Victoria Matulich moved from the Bunker Hill region near Amador City, California to their property on 12505 Steiner Road in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County. The property was known as the Stewart ranch, and the 50 acres on which they settled was the old homestead dating back to the 1870s. They planted grapes and numerous trees and ten years later established a winery they called Dobra Zemlja which means good earth in Croatian. The small winery currently produces 2000 cases of Viognier, Syrah, Sangiovese and Zinfandel. The Zinfandel, incidentaly, is the grape thought to have originated on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The winery is carved out of the sloping hillside under a restored 100 year old structure. Milan is the winemaker and Victoria, who is an artist, has her studio and a small gallery located above the winery. In mid-February the Amador wineries conduct the annual barrel tasting. Victoria, who hails from Idaho, prepares Croatian dishes for this event such a chevapchichi, sarma and preznac. These Dalmatian dishes combined with the big, robust wines have created a following and a reputation for earthy friendliness and warm hospitality that is associated with European wineries and specifically the Dalmatian konoba.

Agoston Haraszthy-Father of California Wine

In the 1850s Agoston Haraszthy, a Hungarian nobleman, arrived in Sonoma with cuttings of the Muscat Alexandria grape, which he planted at Buena Vista, outside Sonoma, the first large vineyard in California. The wine industry, which had been centered in Southern California, soon was thriving in the north, thanks to the innovation of Haraszthy and the hundreds of cuttings he introduced from Europe.

Croatian Mother of California Wine

In 1861 he traveled to his homeland, Hungary, and other parts of Europe and collected vines and trees for planting in California. His collection was published by the State of California as a Catalogue of Vines and Trees.

Croatia was a part of Austria and Hungary at that time. All cuttings were listed as Hungary with a few from Illyria; others were listed by country. He was proclaimed The Father of California Wine. Agoston Haraszthy was born on August 30, 1812 at Futok, Backa, Vojvodina to a noble family. Vojvodina is not in Hungary, it was a part of Austria and was ancient Croatian territory. In 1834 he married a noblewoman, Eleonora Dedinsky, from Dedina. The Dedinsky coat of arms is registered as Croatian arms. The Haraszthy and Dedinsky arms are similar in design indicating relationship. A genealogy of Haraszathy shows related families of Horvat, Balasovich, Kubovich, Burian, Halas; all found today in Croatia.

CALIFORNIA GOLD CROATIAN WINE

August Senoa

God has blessed California with gold;

Gold has exalted the land far and wide;

Its rivers and brooks roll treasures untold,

Its rocks conceal gold veins in their inside.

But from whatever you have had you fill

You no more derive any joyous thrill.

When it is far, however, what a change!

The gold that leaves its native land, and sails

The ocean to Europe- is it not strange?

May a fine day roll on Austrian rails.

Well, Austrian? Gold? But where is it? Where?

My brothers, in museums. Look it up there.

And we, the gentle souls, think it meet

To be content with a sheer paper sheet.

The country of Croatia overflows with wine,

Its drops more precious than gold, crystally clear:

God Himself has consecrated our vine,

Its fame expanding world-wide, far and near,

One cannot be a prophet in his land,

Sometimes we may not drink as manners demand.

When far and away, however- what a change!

Whenever leaving your home for some time,

You prize Croatian wine- is it not strange?

You miss it under a foreign clime.

And while I drink that wishy-washy beer,

I often brush away a painful tear.

Then I remember you, my charming home,

Your fiery wine, opulent, flavorsome,

With life in it and real love beside,

With heaven in it and thunderous song.

With olden glory and national pride,

With courage and concept lucid and strong;

Sure cure for old age, bright sunshine for youth,

Proof our hospitality tells the truth.

And you, my brothers in Croatian parts,

Keep on dancing, sing from you fullest hearts;

Our wince is foaming, see it sparkle, my dear,

Let jokes be cut- let everybody cheer,

Propose a toast to too many a son

Who lacks our wine beneath a foreign sun:

Drink moderately to keep yourselves alert

Let enemies should plan an assault;

Drink boldly to be able to avert

From new-glory-bearing vines any fault;

Drink modestly this divine, fierce gift;

Drink wisely, Mirza teaches, foster thrift.

Zagreb Times Newspaper 1862 Croatia

Mysterious Origin of Zinfandel Grape

Long before the controversy about Old Vines began, wine people were arguing about the origin of the Zinfandel vine itself.

The history of Zinfandel is a tangled one. One commonly held theory involves Count Agoston Harazthy, a Hungarian who settled in Sonoma County in the late 1800s and began making wine. As the story goes, Harazthy returned to his native Hungary on business and upon his return to California, carried a large number of vine cuttings with him from Hungary. However, most of the cuttings either were not marked or the tags on the vines had became unreadable during the long journey, so it's impossible to tell if Zinfandel was among the Count's cuttings. California historian Charles Sullivan says that his research of Harazthy's notes did not reveal any mention of Zinfandel.

Another popular theory of the birth of Zinfandel has the vine coming from a Long Island nursery. Early in the 19th century, records show that George Gibbs of Long Island brought vines he had imported from Vienna to Boston.

A decade later, grapes called "Zenfendel" and "Zinfindal" were listed in East Coast nursery catalogs. The California connection, claims one account, came about when failed gold diggers in 1849 turned to farming. They ordered plants from these nurseries and one of the shipments sent west included "Zinfindal," which was planted in Napa and' Sonoma counties. Later, California grape growers found the vine identical to "Black St. Peters," a vine known in New England, although no one knew the origin.

There are also Italian and Croatian connections. For years, it was believed that the California vine called Zinfandel was the same as the Primitivo of southern Italy. So sure were some Italians about the Cal Ital connection that a few began shipping wines made from Primitivo but called Zinfandel to the United States, which upset California Zinfandel producers. The belief was that Zinfandel had been imported into southern Italy, and that somehow, Primitivo developed from Zinfandel in the region of Apulia. However, old-time growers in Apulia claim that Primitivo was growing in Apulia long before Zinfandel was recorded in California.

In the mid-1990’s, DNA testing conducted by Carole Meredith at the University of California at Davis showed that Zinfandel and primitivo are synonyms for the same variety. These findings were confirmed by similar studies in Italy and Austria. However, Italy is probably not the source of the vines in California that are called Zinfandel, Meredith says, pointing out that continuing studies show that Zinfandel is “quite probably an old Dalmatian grape, although it is not the same variety as Plavic Mali, the red wine grape of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia.”Meredith says there is some evidence that monks first brought the grape to Apulia from the coast of what is now Croatia. If you believe that DNA “fingerprinting” is irrefutable and conclusive, the origin of Zinfandel will eventually be found. However, some believe that part of the enjoyment of Zinfandel is the mystery of its origins. (Gerald D. Boyd San Francisco.)