Wines of Istria
Holiday in Istria gives you an opportunity to enjoy indigenous Istrian wines. Istria was renown for its excellent wines and vineyards already at the time of the Romans and Greeks.
Wine roads of Istria
Croatian Istria as a region is ideal for growing vineyards. White soil of the central part of Istria, the red soil on the shore and the mild climate make it a "heaven on earth" for winemakers. Therefore, it is no wonder that a large amount of Istrian soil is covered with the vineyards.
Nowadays, wine roads are considered a recognizable tourist product of Istria, attracting visitors who enjoy the excellent wines, as well as the people who would like to experience all the scents and flavours of Istria during their holiday.
Nowadays, there are seven wine roads of Istria:
- Buje/Brtonigla/Umag/Novigrad
- Poreč
- Vrsar/Puntana
- Rovinj
- Vodnjan/Pula
- Labin/Rabac
- Central Istria
Indigenous wines of Istria
During your summer holidays in Istria, beside visiting the great beaches and other attractions, make sure to visit the wine roads of Istria and give yourself to the tastes and smells of indigenous superb wines of Istria.
The most important varieties are:
- Istrian Malvasia ("Istarska Malvazija")
- Teran
- Istrian sherry ("Istarski prošek")
Istrian Malvazija ("Istarska Malvazija")
It is a white variety which occupies almost two thirds of all vine crops growing in Istria. Typically, this is a dry wine with medium fruitiness, excellent with the traditional Istrian dishes of fish and chicken.
Teran
Teran is a wine of distinctive ruby red color with a purple shine to it. Young Teran is the essential ingredient in the preparation of traditional Istrian dish called "supa", made of toasted bread in a jug of red wine. It is served with meat and wild game based dishes and is excellent with the cold starters such as the Istrian cheese and ham.
Photo: Velo Steve/flicker