According to an ancient legend, when God distributed benefits, Dalmatians got grapevine... because, at a place where sun burns the rocks, where soil is thirsty, where rocky ground prevails, hardly any crop may survive. That is exactly Dalmatia and that is where grapevine found its homeland.
The entire political, economic, and even artistic history of Dalmatia is related to 
winegrowing. Since prehistory, grapevine, along with olives and fishing determined the destiny of the inhabitants of the central Dalmatia. The most recent research has shown that Illyrians who lived in these regions knew grapevine already in Bronze Age and Iron Age. However, the true development of winegrowing in central Dalmatia is related to the first Greek settlements on islands. We still have a record from that time (Scholars' Feast) evidencing that in the former colony of Issa, today the island of Vis, wine was produced that compared to other wines proved to be the best in the Antiquity. With the arrival of Romans to these regions, the winegrowing significantly improved. Wine was exported from Dalmatia to all regions of the powerful Roman Empire.
As Croats arrived and settled in Dalmatia, they accepted winegrowing and soon caught up with their teachers, Romans. According to written documents, special attention at the Croatian court in Middle Ages was paid to wine. This is shown by the fact that there was a court officer called royal wine procurer, who was in charge of production and procurement of wine for the royal court in the period from Prince Mutimir to King Petar Krešimir IV. Development of winegrowing in central Dalmatia in late Middle Ages was under great influence of independent town-states (Split, Trogir, Hvar, Omiš, etc.). Free towns adopted fundamental legal standards, statutes on winegrowing and protected it accordingly. With appearance of phylloxera, a hazardous grapevine pest, in European vineyards, the interest in Dalmatian wines grew and large exports to France and other countries started, providing great benefits to local population. However, when the disease attacked the grapevine in central Dalmatia as well, vineyards were ruined on massive scale and many families living of wine trade were brought to the edge of subsistence.
The most severe period in the history of Dalmatian winegrowing was worsened 
by the so-called wine clause, i.e. preferential imports of Italian wines. This struck so much the inhabitants of central Dalmatia that they emigrated overseas on large scale, searching for better life.
Since 1990-ies new foundations are made for further development of winegrowing on a new basis, first of all in family wine cellars that, along with wineries, become its prime movers. Dalmatian wines were enjoyed by the famous traveller Marco Polo, the Hungarian king Bela IV, Croatian kings Tomislav and Zvonimir, and Franz Joseph I in Vienna, and more recently by the American president Jimmy Carter, Pope John Paul II during his visit to Croatia, Rainer II – Prince of Monaco, Belgian king, and other crowns in many countries to which the wines were exported.
Wine-growing hills of Split and Dalmatia County have preserved the groves of original varieties of grapevine and with them also the tradition and identity of wine. The area of Split and Dalmatia County expands over two winegrowing sub-regions – Dalmatinska zagora, and central and southern Dalmatia – with different climates and soil, reflected in winegrowing and thereby also in wine properties.
Zagora
The winegrowing sub-region of Dalmatinska zagora is located in the Adriatic hinterland separated from the sea by two mountains, Mosor and Biokovo. Frequent images here are lonely vineyards in the middle of stone wasteland. Along the slopes of Biokovo, grapevine grows in little Karst valleys, fighting with stone in search of soil, for which it frequently climbs around the rock, forming unusually picturesque vineyards.
Descending down the step-like slopes of Biokovo, we leave behind the Karst and stone. The eye usually finds pleasure in the image of a beautiful green carpet, Imotsko Polje valley, with mostly plantation- like vineyards. The most prevalent variety is Kujunđuša, of unknown origin, but as it is so frequently grown on Imotski winegrowing hills, it is considered an indigenous variety of this region. Local people call it "the queen and the saint". Wine of this variety is harmonious, and its bouquet has elements of both continental and southern wines (bottled by Imota Imotski and Grabovac Proložac). New impulse for the winegrowing in this region was provided by vineyards around Proložac (seat of Grabovac winery) with new plants of indigenous and European varieties of grapevine. Through the mountainous vineyards scattered in valleys between rocky slopes, we arrive to Vrgoračko Polje valley called Jezero (Lake) as once it was partially under water. Still nowadays, at times of abundant rains, the valley is for the most part flooded. Not once local people harvested
grape out of a boat. In the green scenery of mostly plantation-like vineyards, traditional varieties are cultivated (Medna, Zlatarica, Blatina, Trnjak, Plavina, etc. are bottled by Imota Imotski and Opačak Makarska), and newly introduced varieties (Vranac, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc. are bottled by Vinoplod d.d., Šibenik).