Istria’s wine roads lead to the very heart of the Istrian way of life, which has cultivated a special link with wines and vines since time immemorial. In many ways, the contemporary story of Istria and wine originated in the peninsula’s northwestern region, where new ideas began to emerge some 15 years ago. Those ideas helped to reinforce Istrian winemaking during its great revival brought on by the introduction of new technologies to archaic production in the early 1990s.
Prominent Croatian Winemaking Region
The special status of the entire Umag-Novigrad region in this endeavour comes as no surprise, as the region has always seemed foreordained for great achievements in wine growing. Sun-kissed hills and a unique blend of red and grey soils have always favoured the growth of grapevines, so much so that over the centuries a new variety of grapevine, the Muškat Momjanski (Momjan Muscat), was developed in the small town of Momjan near Buje.
Some of Croatia’s leading wine producers - Kozlović and Degrassi, Coronica and Kabola, Ravalico and Cattunar, Clai, Veralda, CUI, and many others – can be found in this rather small region today.
Winemakers of northwestern Istria
WINEMAKERS |
ADRESS |
CONTACT
|
Bassanese Andrea |
Kaštel 125, Buje |
+385 98 164 7665 |
Brajko Anđelo |
Oskoruš 48, Buje |
+385 52 779 077 |
Capo Vina |
Fernetići 60, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 401 |
Cattunar |
Nova Vas 22, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 132 |
Cecco Antonio |
Nova Vas 22, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 132 |
Clai Bijele Zemlje |
Brajki 104 , Buje |
+385 52 776 175 |
Coronica Moreno |
Koreniki 86, Umag |
+385 52 730 357 |
Cuj-Kraljević |
Farnežine 5, Umag |
+385 98 219 277 |
Davor i Boris Škrlj |
Kaštel 24, Novigrad |
+385 52 735 269 |
Degrassi Moreno |
Podrumarska 3, Umag |
+385 52 759 250 |
Fiore vina |
Sarbarica 00, Umag |
+385 95 501 1555 |
Gambaletto |
Brajki 103, Buje |
+385 52 776 293 |
Irineo Celega |
Garibaldi 43, Buje |
+385 91 511 5157 |
Vinoteka/Wine bar Mandrač |
Mandrač 18, Novigrad |
+385 99 815 1266 |
Kabola |
Kremenje 96 b, Buje |
+385 52 779 047 |
Kozlović |
Valle 78, Buje |
+385 52 779 177 |
Leonardo Palčić |
Dajla 144, Dajla |
+385 52 735 354 |
Mihelić - Ghira Winery |
Strada Kontesa, Novigrad |
+385 98 191 0651 |
Moreno Ivančić |
Domovinskih žrtava 20 |
+385 98 976 8005 |
Novacco |
Fernetići 70, Brtonigla |
+385 91 177 4321 |
Prelac Armando & Rino |
Donja ulica 48 a, Buje |
+385 52 779 003 |
Ravalico |
Nova Vas 101, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 152 |
Reale |
Srednja ulica 16, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 263 |
Sinković |
San Mauro 107, Buje |
+385 52 779 033 |
Stancija Fava |
Salvela 54, Dajla |
+385 99 464 0088 |
Veralda |
Kršin 4, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 111 |
Vina Demark |
Paolija 15D, Bužinija |
+385 91 188 33 99 |
Vina Franković |
Trg J.B. Tita 6, Buje |
+385 52 772 898 |
Vina P&P |
Sv. Servul 7c, Novigrad |
+385 52 758 416 |
Visintin Nerino |
Druškovićeva 8, Brtonigla |
+385 52 774 417 |
All you need to do is choose a wine cellar or two (why not several?) on the wine road, check their working hours, and you’re ready to set off. Specialised guidebooks and maps are available at tourist info points. Your hosts at the wine cellars and vineyards will eagerly take you through all the phases of wine growing and production.
Tasting of domestic and international wines
Be sure to taste wines made from the domestic varieties Muškat Momjanski, Malvazija Istarska (Malvasia Istriana) and Teran. If you’re looking for international varieties such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay, the region’s modern wine cellars will not disappoint you. After wine tasting and a pleasant chat with your hosts, you will find it difficult to resist buying a bottle or two of wine, especially at the favourable prices the cellars charge. Nevertheless, don’t let the modern technologies and tasting rooms fool you: these vintners have a rich history and take great pride in the tradition from which they stem. Many are the descendants of farm working families that toiled for generations in vineyards and wine cellars.
Major wine events are an ideal time to tour the wine roads of northwestern Istria:
Welcome!