COUNTRY

Croatia

APPELLATION

Istria

VARIETY

Malvazija Istriana

AGE OF VINES

35 years

FARMING

Sustainable

SOIL

Marl / Marlstone left over by a prehistoric Sea

ALTITUDE

1150 ft

ABOUT THE WINERY

Family and tradition. Unique Istrian terroir, sustainable viticulture and great wines.

 The Benvenuti family from Istria, Croatia, has been making wine for as long as they can remember. It is a part of their tradition, and traditions of the Istria region.  They are thankful for the knowledge their ancestors have passed on to them, who planted vineyards here in the first decades of the last century. This is confirmed by artifacts found in their vineyards, such as the clay jug from the Roman period. This artifact is kept in a museum in Trieste, and for the Benvenuti family it serves as a daily reminder of the wine history in this region and a motivator to continue to make extraordinary wines.

The key concepts describing the grand Benvenuti winemaking family can be summed-up as follows: Family, Tradition and Territory. They also firmly expressed their loyalty to three absolutely essential Istrian regional varieties: Malvazija, Teran and Muscat.

The Benvenuti brothers are famous for Istrian Malvasia cultivated on white soil rich in clay and limestone. That is a unique terroir, which suits Malvazija Istriana superbly. The emblem of Istrian winemaking gets here more delicacy than when cultivated on the red soil, as well as opulent elegant tones and overall more subtlety and complexity.

Their vineyards are located on several specific micro-locations. The white soil gives the minerality to the grapes grown in this area. The terraced configuration and the white soil, along with the micro-climate, provide the grapes with the character which translates to very fresh, mineral wines, fully expressive of the unique terroir. These features are expressed in all of their wines, from basic to aged Malvazija, fresh and harmonious Teran, through to intensive and pleasantly acidic sweet wines.

One special vineyard – San Salvatore, is the very heart of their indigenous varieties. The vineyard is influenced by Adriatic Sea winds coming through the valley of the river Mirna and accumulating in this area. At some 1150 ft to 1310 ft above sea level, south-west facing terraced vineyards are protected from the wind.  It is not a surprise that the results of the winery’s focus on micro-locations and indigenous varieties, coupled with honest, hard work, are the wines is fully recognized and respected by consumers, critics and peers alike.

The Benvenuti family practices sustainable farming and restrict production to around 100,000 bottles per year, an amount that allows superior quality and author’s signature, with no compromises.  The Benvenutis always desire to craft wines of great structure, fruitiness and distinct varietal characteristics, with inevitable minerality, which is the base of each of their wines.

Father Livio, and sons Nikola and Albert together harvest by hand and proudly craft each bottle.  They produce wines where the each indigenous variety reflects all the wealth of vineyards, situated on a series of carefully chosen, specific micro-locations.