HVAR - Croatia and Slovenia - page 383

To reach the start of the hike, take the one daily bus that uses the scenic old road to Stari
Grad (generally departs Hvar town at 12:20 in summer, 12:10 in winter—confirm at TI or
bus station), and get off about five miles east of Hvar town at the village of Velo Grablje.
From the Velo Grablje stop, hike down the switchback road into the town. For a more scen-
ic arrival, stay on the bus a few hundred yards longer and ask the driver to let you off at
Vidikovac (vee-DEE-koh-vats), a viewpoint restaurant with panoramic vistas across the far
side of the island; from here, cross the road and walk down the gravel path into town.
Hvar Wine and Lavender
ThehillsidesofHvarIslandarestripedwiththefaintoutlinesofanelaboratenetwork
of terraces, once used to cultivate grapes for wine. But in 1910, a phylloxera pest
infestation devastated vineyards and nearly decimated the island's winemaking in-
dustry.ManyvintnersmovedtotheUS,Australia,andArgentina,wheretheybecame
pioneersinwineproduction.TodaywinemakingonHvarisatonlyabout5percentof
its historic peak, and the focus is on quality, not quantity. In general, the south side of
the island gets more intense sun, which leads to smaller and sweeter grapes—and, in
turn, higher-alcohol and better-quality wine.
Severalwell-respectedvintnersareputtingHvarontheoenophiles'map.Toppro-
ducers include the large Plinkovi ć operation (which also has vineyards on the main-
land) and Andro Tomi ć . The Tomi ć winery is well set up for visitors curious to taste
a few wines, including their fruity rosé, their Beleca red blend, and their exquisite
prošek dessert wine, called Hektorovich. While it's smart to call ahead to tell them
you're coming, drop-ins are typically welcome (65-250-kn bottles, daily 9:00-20:00,
on the road into the town of Jelsa, just above the Hvar Hotel, tel. [phone],
www.bastijana.hr ) .
In the 1930s, in an effort to boost the economy, the island began producing lav-
ender, which was mostly exported for industrial use to Germany and the UK (peak-
ing in the 1960s and 1970s, when Hvar Island was responsible for 10 percent of the
world's total lavender production). This dramatically improved the quality of life on
Hvar. But devastating forest fires in 1984, 1997, 2003, and 2007 burned up much of
this cash crop. As the island's tourism industry expands, it has become less critical to
the economy to replant after each fire, so many lavender farmers have left their fields
fallow. These days most lavender is produced for the sake of tradition—and for tour-
ists.