OUR STORY
The owners
My name is Jakša (Jack) Kivela and my wife's name is Fung Lin Leung and together, we have created our Fields of Grace Vineyards estate which includes extensive Mediterranean and rose gardens; a wine tasting pavilion; cellar; a private stay-over cottage; and vegetable gardens. The estate is a wholly registered primary producing vineyard entity (OPG Jakša Kivela - 219951) by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture
I was born on Vis, however, I spent most of my life in Australia and Hong Kong. I am a classically trained chef having completed my training at the then Michelin rated restaurant Le Chateau in Melbourne (1970-1974). I owned and operated my own restaurants, qualified as a master teacher. I read for my Doctoral degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and taught hotel management and hotel development, French cuisine and oenology at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for over 20 years
My wife Fung Lin, is from Hong Kong and is an outstanding corporate lawyer specialising in oil and gas and petro-chemical contracts. She is greatly responsible for the vision of what Fields of Grace Vineyards is all about, and is in care of all the gardens at the estate. She takes special care of all of our roses. Lin is an excellent practitioner of the Southern-Chinese and South-East Asian cuisines
Our Vineyards - the estate
Our estate is located in a beautiful small valley called Zlopolje, a few kilometres South-East from the town of Vis on the island Vis, Croatia
The valley is gifted with amazing terroir and quiet grace
We grow varietals such as Vugava (similar in character to Viognier, also known as Bugava locally), Plavac, Cabernet Sauvignon, Graševina (also known as Welschriesling), and Merlot. With great care and skill, we craft our vintages to please and excite our customers and to offer a unique wine tasting experience in a working but private vineyard setting
Ours is a small winery and our wines are uniquely different to the wines in the region and to those on the Island of Vis. This is because we maintain a strict regime in controlling our pre and post harvesting parameters and vinification processes to produce clean crisp wines with light alcoholic content. As much as we dare, we apply our knowledge to bring to you the complex varietal nuances in our wines as nature intended
We currently offer Grace Red (Plavac grapes), Vugava, Grace Rosé (Cabernet Sauvignon grapes), and Welschriesling (also known as Graševina) at 9 euro per 750ml bottle
Apart from the vineyards, there are hazelnut and fruit trees on the property
Our vinery and wine making
To preserve the fragile but complex varietal aroma, taste, and to balance acidity, the quality of our wines begins in the vineyard. That is, we precisely determine the amount of bunches per vine in the spring. The level of sweetness, acidity, and pH is measured a number of times before the harvest, so that the percentage of alcohol, and varietal characteristics in the finished wine can be accurately determined. Vinification for both our white and red wine, follows a strictly controlled fermentation regime of controlled cold fermentation with oxygen control. Finally, our white wines have a maximum of 12.0% alcohol, and our red 13.5% alcoho - but we do not produce red wine every year!. All of our wines have these key characteristics - they are fresh, light with convincing compexity and with varietal character intact
All our stainless steel barrels have double sheaths - like a thermos flask, and airtight lids. For our Rosé, we follow the time-honoured Southern-French methodology of controlled vinification and hand-maceration established with years of practice: This is very much a uniquely hand-crafted vigneron's work. As a result, each year will produce a slightly different rosé to the previous year
Something to note, we do filter our wine before bottling, but we do not sterilize our wine, hence every now and then when our whites and rosé are over-chilled or chilled for a long time, they will produce a crystalline sediment (tartaric acid which is present in the grape berry) which look like snow flakes. If this happens to your white wine, do not throw it away, it is very perfectly drinkable (flakes just melt away in your mouth). Moreover, it is a sign that the winemaker has done a proper job - with real grapes
These little tartaric acid flakes are also known as wine gold dust!
Sustainability and ecological practices
Our estate is wholly solar energy self-sufficient. We operate most up-to-date waste water management and we use ecologically sustainable practices on our land and plants. Likewise, in our wine making-process we use state-of-the-art technology for vinification, albeit with an appropriate measure of winemaking knowhow!
would yOU like tO STAY WITH US AT THE GRACE
We can do that! There is a quaint stone cottage for a vineyard-stay for our family members, special guests and friends with ample parking and is only six minutes by car from Vis town and nearby beaches
Our cottage offers peace and quiet tranquility after your day's escapades: A real retreat to chill out!
The cottage offers comfortable accomodation for three adults or a couple with two children. There are large terraced spaces for for truly out-door living with a gorgeous sit-in country bath (pool) overlooking one of the vineyards. Mediterranean gardens and our vineyards surround the property
Home comforts, such as the laundry, large bathroom, en-suite, outdoor wood BBQ, full kitchen, outdoor seating and dining
our other homes on vis
Our other holiday properties in Vis town
We have two beautiful apartments in Vis town for our guests. One is located in an old Austro-Hungarian stone building right at the town's waterfront where you can people-gaze and boat-gaze from your windows. Apartment is a comfy home away from home accommodating four people, with full kitchen, en-suites, an eating area and a separate living room with floor to ceiling French window where you can take a sundowner, watch the sun come up and down, watch all the 'beautiful' people on their yachts, soak up the waterfront ambiance, and just chill out
The other apartment is located in a heritage-listed 18th century palazzo and is three minutes walk from the waterfront. It's a tranquil area close to the town's heart beat! The apartment is beautifully furnished in period furniture, real naval artifacts including museum quality ship models, ship's light fittings, and a gallery library. The accommodation is for two adults offering a full kitchen 1.5 bathrooms, eating area, formal living room, and terrace/garden access
Shortly, we will offer a completely restored 17th century heritage house for our guests. With the assistance from the Heritage and Conservation Office in Split, the objective is to return the house to its original state. This house is in the second-row from the waterfront, which in the early 19th century was still the original waterfront on Vis; the current waterfront and it's buildings are built on reclaimed land during the Austro-Hungarian rule
For more information, please contact me or Fung Lin directly.
where we are on vis