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 Love for Istria was born in the springtime, when the peninsula is full
of scents and colours. Green hills, stacks of hay lying across the verdant
grass carpets, quiet rivers curving and twisting like snakes when observed from
the towers of medieval towns, characteristic for Istrian hinterland. All these
faces of nature, adorned with stone country houses and charming hotels, give Istria a unique combination of style, cosiness and
simplicity. To understand fully why they call it the “Croatian Tuscany” or “Croatian
Provence”, one must come in the springtime. And taste wines.
Wines are in Istria considered to be “the food for the soul”. So I
took a three-day tour along the wine roads marked on the wine map provided by the
local tourist board. It turned out to be a marvellous way to explore little
towns, authentic cuisine and meet the locals who have a reputation for being a
little bit tough but hard working, with an instinct for making money. This
ability to make a business of what is given to them by nature might be the
reason why there is a certain animosity between Istrians and people from other
parts of Croatia.
Istria has changed countries four times in the course of last 100 years: first
it was ruled by the Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy, then Italy, after that Yugoslavia
and now it is a part of Croatia.
Probably, their stubbornness is an outcome of such a history. But let us drop
it. Wines are the subject to explore in this piece. Due to characteristic terroire,
with red soil spreading across the littoral and white soil covering the
hinterland, bouquet of Istrian wines varies from fresh taste of Malvasia
(malmsey) to intense and deep taste of Teran, one of two indigenous wines of Istria. 
Wine production is
concentrated in 4 centres (towns of Buje, Poreč, Pazin and Rovinj) which, with
their surroundings, make up four wine road itineraries. To cover them, you will
need to have a car. Croatia
has recently built a motorway called the “Istrian Y”, but the network of local
roads is also very good. You should not have problems with finding your way to wine
cellars since wine roads are well marked (as said before, Istrians know how to
treat their guests and make money). Beside
the cellars with wine-tasting options (please note you are kindly asked to give
notice of your visit by telephone), my palate was already allured by charming
small taverns and households offering authentic  seasonal cuisine. The trademarks
of Istria are truffles, olive oils, smoked ham
and asparagus, but Istrian gastronomy is a fusion of Italian and Austrian
pasta, Slavic fish stews and simple peasant food. Unavoidable in the spring is young
lamb and kid meat, but also sheep cheese flavoured with homemade olive oil,
matching Malvasia, the true springtime wine, perfectly.
ISTRIA'S WINELIST
Istria's wine list comprises of three wine sorts:
Malvazija (malmsey) and Muskat (muscatel) of the white wines and Teran of the
red wines. The Istrian Malvazija of a century-old tradition varies in colour
from hay-yellow to golden, while its flavour reminds of locust blossom. Because
of its refreshing aroma, it is best served with sea food and dishes prepared
with olive oil. Red Teran, said to be praised by Casanova, has a ruby-red
colour and a full, fruity scent combined with saturated, rich flavour. It is
best served with meat stews and wild game. Muškat or moskat is, according to
many, the best among Istrian wines, especially the variety produced by Kozlović.
In comparison with other varieties, Muškat is grown on by far smallest areas,
among which the Momjan vineyards are considered to be the best. Muškat has a golden colour, flowery scent and
an extraordinary dry-sweet aroma, best suited with desserts and perfect for
gourmands.
Top wine producers
in Istria are Kozlović, Matošević and Degrassi. Kozlović
won his first award for his Malvasia in 1998, when his wine was proclaimed the best
white wine in Croatia.
His cellar in Momjan, with a tasting room next to it, became almost a cult
place in Istria, but also a true wine
laboratory. However, though Kozlović has several prominent wines to his name
(Santa Lucia, Malvasia, Teran), his name is synonymous with Muškat (the Momjan
Muscat), with a light aroma of oranges and ripe pears. His Dulcinea, a late
harvest Muscat He exports about 20% of
his wine production in the surrounding countries and USA
made with 20 % raisined grapes has a less sweet aroma than Muškat, tasting of
fresh apricot. and has no problem with placement
of his wines.
After the wine
tasting we went to the Marino tavern, in the small village of Kremenje
near Momjan. The tavern is owned by Marino Markežić, a restaurateur but also a respectable
wine producer (his wine brand is called Kabola). There we enjoyed a most
abundant and tasty truffle meal at a reasonable price. Mr Marino is also the
owner of the arguably most beautiful wine-estate, with a small museum and
tasting room. The surroundings, the house itself, the view, interiors, details
(silver cutlery, glasses, furniture) – the experience is well worth of
insisting on visiting the place.
Ivica Matošević,
another winemaker of a young generation, with around 50 000 bottles a year, is a
founder of the Malvasia Mediterranea project, dedicated to promoting the
culture of Malvasia as part of Mediterranean history common to all the
countries of the Mediterranean basin. In his cellar, boasting an attractive and
spacious testing room, he produces mostly white wines (about 80% of total
production) all kept in barriques, led by desire to make the best Malvasia. Do
taste his Anima Chardonnay. Low yields and cold fermentation plus the standard barriques
give the wine a dry, bold aroma of wood, with a nutty flavour on the palate,
slightly salty. His Malvasia Alba has a powerful aroma of flowers and fruit,
dominated by acacia and light aroma of banana, with very refined and soft taste
of limes and hay. Third white, dry Aura, is a coupage of white pinot and
chardonnay (30:70). It has a fruity taste varying from apple to lemon, with no
bitterness at all, perfectly complementing fish and seafood in general, oysters
in particular. To check that, we had lunch in a fancy fish restaurant called
Damir & Ornela in Novigrad, a beautiful coastal town. The owner, Mr Damir,
is a master of knifes: he prepares Croatian sushi in front of the guests (there
are only 8 tables in the restaurant), making a wonderful combination of raw
fish and olive oil with only a drop of lemon juice.
After the night
spent in a classy, luxurious small family hotel called San Rocco, near Buje, we
visited the third top producer, Moreno Degrassi, who hosted us in his stylish cellar
with hand made furniture and homely atmosphere. His production is based on red
wines aged in barrique casks, contrary to other Istrian winemakers who are
predominantly producing whites. His red Refošk, wine indigenous to Istria, with raspberry flavour, is very earthy in its
base: body is bright and dry, uncharacteristic of other Terans (Refošk is Teran).
Depending on the time spent in casks, it tastes more or less of oak (Degrassi
leaves it barriqued for 18 months) with stronger meaty taste, but the right
time for consumption would be after 5 years, says Degrassi.  A meal that fits in
fabulously with his red wines we had in tavern Morgan, serving wild game. The
owner’s father is a wild game hunter, the mother is a chef and the son is half-hunter,
half-chef: a nice combination for a family run business. The interior is simple
and pleasant, with predominating wood and brown colours. All in all, a cosy
place where you can sit for hours enjoying food and wines, listening to the
hunting stories.
Wine producers:
Ivica Matošević +
385 52 380 597
Gianfranco
Kozlović + 385 52 779 177
Moreno Degrassi, + 385 52 759 250
Accommodation:
www.adriatica.net,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
,
+ 36 1 9996 254
Restaurants &
Taverns:
Damir &
Ornela, Novigrad, + 385 52 758 134
Marino, Kremenje
96/b + 385 52 779 047
Morgan, Brtonigla,
+ 385 52 774 520
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