A vineyard, a cellar and a table: Boškinac opens a quieter chapter of island life.
Boškinac · Novalja · Island of PagThe long read
Pag, beyond the stone.
A vineyard, a cellar and a table: Boškinac opens a quieter chapter of island life.
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The other landscape of Pag
There is more than one way to read an island. Pag’s pale stone and exposed coastline make a powerful first impression; the fields around Novalja offer a different perspective. At Boškinac, vines and olive trees draw attention inland. The sea remains part of the setting, but it no longer dictates the whole story. This is a place to build a visit around a table, a conversation and the changing character of a wine.
The Šuljić family’s connection to winemaking reaches back beyond the present estate. The modern winery was built in 2000, when a new five-hectare vineyard was also planted nearby. That continuity is worth keeping in mind when tasting. Ask about Gegić, the local white variety that Boris Šuljić describes as an ongoing exploration, then discover how the estate approaches its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Let the available vintages guide the conversation rather than arriving with a fixed tasting list.
The restaurant interprets Pag through its ingredients: fish, lamb, cheese, island herbs and olive oil become the starting points for a contemporary approach to cooking. A meal here offers another way to understand the place, beyond the glass. Ask which menu and pairings are being served on your chosen date. Leave enough time for dinner to be the evening’s main event, rather than a hurried stop between other plans.
The stone hotel sits beside the vineyard and olive grove, below a pine wood, with terraces looking over the Novalja fields. Staying overnight makes room for the quieter edges of a wine visit: an unhurried arrival, a leisurely meal, a morning without the pressure to leave immediately. Our suggested sequence is simple: arrange a tasting, reserve dinner separately, and consider a room if you want to keep the whole evening in one place.
Combine a coastal walk with a tasting arranged directly with Boškinac. Ask separately about restaurant and accommodation availability; a tasting does not include either automatically.
Suggested itineraries, not packaged tours. Book visits directly and do not drive after drinking.