Climate Change Pushes Central Croatia’s Grape Harvest Into August
Grape harvesting in central Croatia is moving from September toward early August as milder winters, earlier vegetation and changing rainfall accelerate ripening. Volumes are lower this summer, but growers report healthy, high-quality fruit and are changing vineyard and cellar schedules.
September harvests give way to August
Climate change is bringing the grape harvest forward across Central Hilly Croatia, turning what was traditionally September work into an increasingly early August operation. The Bregovita Hrvatska association said this year’s harvest began in parts of the region during the week before 21 August, as growers raced to pick fruit when its sugar, acidity and other winemaking parameters were at their best.
The region covers the City of Zagreb and eight counties: Bjelovar-Bilogora, Karlovac, Koprivnica-Križevci, Krapina-Zagorje, Međimurje, Sisak-Moslavina, Varaždin and Zagreb. According to the association, milder winters, earlier vegetation and a changing distribution of rainfall are accelerating ripening across this broad production area.
Luka Košćak of Košćak winery in Novi Marof said the earliest harvest date recorded by the producer was 14 August, both this year and in 2018. He reported lower yields this summer but good grape quality, with parameters suited to premium wines with longer ageing potential. He also expects this year’s sparkling wines to be more complex and fuller-bodied than last year’s.
Lower volumes, but healthy fruit
Growers on Plešivica also started harvesting several days earlier to preserve acidity, a key element in the area’s wines. Nikola Šember of Šember winery in Pavlovčani said there were fewer grapes than last year, although the crop was healthy and of high quality. He highlighted the indigenous žuti plavec variety, whose large bunches and pronounced acidity have performed particularly well under the current conditions.
Conditions are not uniform across every vineyard. David Štampar of Štampar winery in Sveti Urban said his business was still waiting for pušipel and several locally established international varieties to ripen. Part of its vineyard area was damaged by hail, but the remaining grapes were described as attractive and healthy, while the winery prepared its cellars for processing.
Most vineyards nevertheless came through the summer’s prolonged dry period successfully, Bregovita Hrvatska said. Soil retained sufficient moisture in many sites, but young vineyards were more exposed because recently planted vines have shallow root systems. Those blocks required additional water, adding another operational demand during an already compressed growing and harvesting calendar.
Vineyard and cellar schedules change
Producers are responding with measures designed to retain water and protect vines. Štampar cited the use of humus to preserve soil moisture and sowing grass between vines. Miroslav Polovanec, president of Bregovita Hrvatska, said indigenous varieties associated with the region were coping well, but growers would need additional agronomic measures to maintain the quality expected from international varieties.
The earlier harvest has implications beyond the vineyard. Wineries must ready cellars, processing equipment and labour weeks sooner, while monitoring multiple varieties that may ripen at different speeds. Lower volumes can restrict the amount of wine available, even when healthy fruit and favourable parameters support higher-value premium and sparkling production.
For central Croatian producers, the immediate result is a narrower window in which to protect acidity and secure the desired grape profile. The association expects harvests to continue shifting toward the beginning of August and says September picking is becoming a thing of the past. After the harvest, regional wineries are due to present their wines at the fifth BregFest, scheduled for 23 October 2026 at Lauba in Zagreb.
