Žuljana vineyards above Vučine beach: an evening on Pelješac

Published October 15, 2026By Jaroslav Vrba and Jan SvobodaPlace: Žuljana

On 14 October 2026 we spent the afternoon and early evening in Žuljana on Pelješac. In the village centre stands an old wine cellar: a two-storey house with flaking render, a metal door and a barred window. A climbing plant covers part of its wall. On the stone wall of a house we read a plaque: “U spomen krunitbe hrvatskoga kralja Tomislava DCCCCXXV-MCMXXV Žuljanci”. In English: in memory of the coronation of the Croatian king Tomislav, 925–1925, signed Žuljanci, the people of Žuljana.

The Škafet café is in the centre too. Locals meet there for a chat, a glass or a coffee, and so do we. In Žuljana we also photographed Plavac Mali grapes in October.

Towards evening we climbed above Vučine beach. The slope above the beach is laid out in terraces held by dry-stone walls, with vines growing on them. The leaves were turning yellow and red, and the low sun turned them golden. Above the vineyard, among pines and cypresses, stands a small white church with a red roof.

From Žuljana we look across the sea towards Dingač.

Vines on terraces with dry-stone walls, and above them, among pines and cypresses, a small white church with a red roof. — Vine terraces above Vučine beach near Žuljana, October 2026.

A slope of vines with yellow, green and red leaves in low sun, a white church and pines against a blue sky at the top. — Vines above Vučine beach in low sun, October 2026.

An old two-storey house with flaking render, a metal door and a barred window, a climbing plant covering the right of the wall. — Old building in the centre of Žuljana, October 2026.

A stone plaque on a wall reading U spomen krunitbe hrvatskoga kralja Tomislava DCCCCXXV-MCMXXV Žuljanci. — Plaque commemorating the coronation of King Tomislav, Žuljana.

The name Škafet in black letters on an old rendered wall above a stone door frame. — The Škafet café in the centre of Žuljana, October 2026.

The sea seen from above a rocky cove with pines, a steep mountain slope in low sun across the water and hazy ridges beyond. — View from Žuljana towards Dingač, October 2026.

The full story of these producers is in the book.