“Our business lies in Krasica, village in “white” Istria, 40 km across the Croatian border from Trieste. It is a family business encompassing 8 hectares of vineyards and 3 hectars of olive trees. Our wine-growing approach respects the nature in its fullest and is inspired by the principles of our grandparents. The geographic and climate situation is particularly propitious: the air from the Ucka mountain and the sea air that goes up the river Mirna meet here and create an ideal microclimate to cultivate vines and olives. Our principal goal is to enhance our terroir. We produce no wine out of international grape varietals alone. Our 6 labels are wines made of native grapes – Malvasia, Refosco and Muscat – or their blend with international varietals.

Our work in the vineyards is all about quality, not quantity. The density of culture system is high (5,700 plants / hectare) and the yields are kept low. The fertilization is minimal and occasional, using only organic and natural manures.

We do not use any systematic treatments – herbicides, insecticides, commercial fertilizers…

After coming to our cellar, the grapes are vinified in a natural way, with spontaneous fermentation on the skins and without the addition of enzymes, added yeasts or malolactic bacteria. The wines are mellowed in wooden barrels of various sizes, with a long stay on the lees. After nearly a year the wines are bottled without micro- or sterile filtering.

We believe that no year is “good” or “bad” if you work in a natural way – the vintages are just different. They depend on seasonal climatic factors that determine the absolute value of the wine: its quality.”

Ottocento red is a cuvee made of Merlot and Refosco. Grapes are collected from the wines that are 10 to 25 years old and which are close to the cellar. Even though Merlot it is not local varietal, it is very good adjusted on the position and climate and it is very good blended with Refosco. High quality red wine, enough autentic that when you drink it, you enjoy the minerality of the most prestigious istrian soil, white soil.

Grapes are hand picked, de-stemmed and gravity fed into large wooden barrels for maceration about a month which starts with natural yeasts on the temperature at 30 degrees Celsius. Grapes are mixed three times a day at which period they undergoe also malo-lactic fermentation. After pressing it is aged at least two years into big oak barrels (1000 to 2500 l).

-From the producer