Belina svetokriška: A Croatian Wine Almost Lost to Time
A few years ago, when researchers from Croatia's Faculty of Agriculture were surveying the oldest vineyards around Sveti Križ Začretje, deep in the Zagorje hills, they found just a handful of vines of a variety they couldn't place. It matched nothing in the literature. It had no counterpart in neighboring wine regions. Its genetic profile aligned with no other known grape. A unique genotype — and, at that moment, one that stood a few vines away from disappearing entirely.
That variety is now called Belina svetokriška, named after the village where it survived.
For us at Vitus Winery, this isn't just another new label. It's the reason we do what we do: to preserve the indigenous grape varieties of Croatian Zagorje that would quietly slip from memory without care, and to turn them into wines that hold their own on a modern table.
Known Parents, an Unknown Journey
Belina svetokriška was born from a cross between two varieties: Belina Starohrvatska - one of Zagorje's most important indigenous grapes - and Alba Imputotato, a variety today found only in Romania. The very same parentage produced Moslavac, a grape known across Central Europe under various names.
How that particular crossing ended up exclusively in the vineyards around Sveti Križ - and why it never appeared in the same form anywhere else - is a question we may never fully answer. Zagorje's viticulture was, for centuries, a network of small family plots where vines circulated between neighbors, where varieties crossed spontaneously, and where some variants stayed within a single hill or a single trellis. Belina svetokriška is one of those fragments: a variety that emerged in Zagorje, endured in Zagorje and, from everything we know today, exists only in Zagorje.
From a Handful of Vines to Our Own Vineyard
Once identified as unique, the variety was added to the national collection of autochthonous varieties of Croatian Zagorje and to the mother plantation from which planting material is now propagated. From literally a handful of surviving vines, Belina svetokriška was brought back into cultivation.
We planted it in our own Vitus vineyards with a clear intention - not as an eccentric curiosity, but as a variety we believed could produce a serious wine. Early research suggested it could give light, fresh wines with restrained aromatics, but also that, with the right site, controlled vine loading and disciplined yield management, it could offer considerably more.
The wine we're releasing under the name Belina svetokriška is exactly that: an attempt to show the variety at its most articulate.
Vineyard, Cellar, Barrel
The grapes come from our vineyards in Zagorje, on sites that give the variety enough sun to build body and enough freshness to keep the acidity it's known for. After harvest, the must fermented under controlled conditions, and the wine then matured in oak.
The choice of wood wasn't incidental. Belina svetokriška, in its purest form, can be refined but somewhat reserved. Time in barrel added layers - a rounder texture, gentle vanilla notes, subtle spice, and the creamy structure oak lends to white wines when used with restraint rather than force.
In the Glass and at the table
The nose opens with ripe apple and pear, alongside a clear citrus note that keeps everything lively. Behind them come soft floral tones, then a discreet layer of vanilla and lightly toasted wood - never dominant, always in the background.
The palate is dry and full, with well-integrated acidity that gives the wine structure and drinkability. A gentle creaminess comes from the barrel, but the wine stays elegant and never loses its freshness. The finish is long, with a distinct mineral note that leaves the imprint of Zagorje's terroir.
A wine of this profile sits most naturally with dishes that balance weight and freshness. It pairs beautifully with roasted or grilled fish, white meat dishes, pasta in cream sauces, and mushroom preparations. Aged semi-hard cheeses work particularly well - the barrel character in the wine echoes the creaminess of the cheese, while the acidity cuts through the fat. For simpler occasions, it also holds its own alongside seasonal Zagorje cooking that leans toward white meats and dairy-based dishes.
Taste a Variety That Exists Nowhere Else
Belina svetokriška is available in limited quantities in our online shop. Each bottle is concrete proof that the indigenous varieties of Zagorje aren't only material for academic papers - they're a living resource from which we make wines that stand on their own in the contemporary wine world.
If you'd rather hear the story firsthand - in the cellar, glass in hand - you can book a guided tasting at Vitus Winery whenever it suits you. Belina svetokriška is a regular part of our tasting flight.
