Istria: Identity you can taste

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The peninsula’s long winemaking history gives its wines distinctive character

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Identity is a complex thing, for wine and for people. Istria, in the northeast of the Adriatic, has an identity all of its own: its inhabitants, whether they live in the Croatian, Slovenian or Italian part of the peninsula, always consider themselves Istrian first. One reason is that their nationality has changed repeatedly over the last four generations, as borders shifted around them. Likewise, Istria’s wines have a distinctive identity, founded on rich history, culture and terroir – which all come together in the glass.

Winemaking here dates back 2,500 years, to Illyrian tribes, including the fierce Histri, who likely gave the region its name. After the scourge of phylloxera, national upheaval and two world wars, Istria’s local grapes rose to prominence.

The city of Poreč, home of Vinistra.

Malvazija Istarska – the versatile flagship

After Croatia gained independence in 1991, a handful of visionary producers saw that Malvazija Istarska was capable of much more than just volume production. They invested in new equipment, better temperature control and improved vineyard management, and the variety began to reveal its class. Today, it is the country’s second most important grape – and all but 5ha of it are grown in Istria. Recent research suggests that the variety originates in Croatia, and is unrelated to the many others called Malvasia. Istrian producers capitalise on its versatility: single-vineyard expressions, skin contact and time in oak or acacia all deliver exciting quality.

Malvazija Istarska is now Croatia’s most successful variety at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA). Rediscovering the robust, serious reds of Teran Producers are also shaping an exciting new future for the Teran variety. This ancient grape of the northern Adriatic was first mentioned in the 14th century and is now believed to have genetic links with Italy’s Barbera.

In recent years, producers have proven that, with sympathetic winemaking and dramatically reduced yields, Teran can produce fresh, bold-flavoured wines capable of long ageing.

Teran pairs well with Istria’s famous truffles and cheeses.

Vinistra – uniting Istria’s top producers

Istria’s strong cultural identity has also served as the foundation for close cooperation between winemakers. The Vinistra association, established in 1994, supports Istrian producers through cross-border initiatives, research, a major regional competition and wine tasting events. It holds its namesake Vinistra wine fair in Poreč every May – which is open to the public and makes a great way of discovering this dynamic wine region.