Istria’s rosé wines – spring in your glass

When life begins to burst forth even from bare stone in the springtime, colouring Istria in all shades of pink, there is no more room for debate on the peninsula of love. Even a debate that has lasted since time immemorial – Teran or Malvasia. This is a debate no one can win, because both “warring” sides are supplied with solid reasoning and boiling passions. But springtime brings compromise. Why battle over red vs. white, when we can simply enjoy la vie en rose?!

Of course, you can drink Istrian rosé wines throughout the entire year. But spring tempts us with a luxurious palette of fruits from the garden and forests to prepare our palates for the flavours of summer, and a glass of rosé simply seems to mark the transition from the long winter into a time in which our feet are light, our hearts restless, and our thoughts spritely and unstoppable... Just like an Istrian rosé!

Don’t let their refreshing features fool you – these are well-rounded wines with character, the fullness of the sun, bura winds and Istria’s famous red soil. In a well-choreographed dance between the Alpine and Mediterranean climates, Cabernet Sauvignon ripens early, but the winds give it freshness and make it ideal for producing rosés with luxurious, fruity notes. But the Istrians are adventurous, and the Istrian land is fertile and proverbially magical, a fact reflected in the rich, diverse selection of rosé wines produced here. The springtime in your glass may come from Pinot Noir, red Muscat, Merlot, Gamay, or even Teran. Only recently near Brtonigla, the wild nature of Teran has been tamed into a rosé with spring freshness, and this undertaking has already rung out in the world of wine as Istria’s newest winemaking miracle.