Description
Type: Red
Country: Croatia
Region: Istria-Kvarner
Grape Variety: 100% Refosk
Viticulture: Natural Wine | Biodynamic | Certified Organic
Climate: A climate where the cold from the Alps meets the Mediterranean heat
Terroir: Vines grow on rocky clay soil
Winemaking: Follows natural winemaking philosophy, focusing on organic and biodynamic practices. Grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed and gravity-fed with their skins into large wooden barrels for maceration which varies but usually lasts from 7 to 20 days and starts with natural yeasts at the temperature of 30 Celsius degrees. Pigeage is done at least three times a day. The wine also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After pressing it is aged for two years in big oak barrels. Minimal intervention in the winemaking process allows the true expression of the grape and the terroir to shine through
Color: Dark red
Nose: A complex and layered flavor profile, with notes of dark berries, cherries, and plums
Palate: The wine showcases a medium to full body, with velvety tannins and a vibrant acidity that adds freshness and balance. The earthy and herbal undertones further enhance the wine’s complexity, leading to a long and satisfying finish
Product of Istria, Croatia
About the Winery:
After a long and successful career in the restaurant industry in Trieste, Giorgio Clai, colloquially known as “the Godfather of Istrian Wine”, followed his passion and returned to his ancestral home, in Istria, to take over his family vineyard.
His vineyards are situated 10 km inland, on grey/white limestone flysch soil, and at sufficient altitude to still benefit from the cool Adriatic sea breeze. Clai’s cellar of wines have one key factor in common – the whites, just like the reds, are all skin-contact wines, otherwise known as orange wines. These wines are food wines, well balanced, rich and complex. Historically, in Istria, Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, orange wine-making was the norm and Giorgio is resolute in his mission of sustaining and evolving this tradition.
Clai’s wines are certified organic, and winemaking techniques follow natural and biodynamic principles.
Giorgio quickly became recognized as a pioneer in orange winemaking – identified by Simon Woolf (The Amber Revolution) as an expert: “Clai’s skin-contact whites are one of the pinnacles of the ‘orange wine’ style – few European winemakers have managed to achieve this level of finesse, balance and pure drinkability.”
