Vižinada – The beginnings of the story of Istrian wine and the wineiest region in Istria
Among the vineyards in the Western Istria, at the intersection of the roads and where the climate of the region changes, Vižinada is located – it is where the beginnings of the story of Istrian wine take place. This, only 36.2 km2 big municipality, has almost 200 ha of vineyard area and about one million vines. Undoubtedly those who come to Istria with the aim to taste excellent home-made wines want to start from the beginning, where a real wealth of wine nurtured by a long tradition of family winemaking is concealed.
As many as 13 local winemakers operate in the Vižinada area today: Marijan Arman, Franc Arman, OPG Anton Bernobić, OPG Vina Deklić, OPG Bruno Ferenac, Vinarija Giulio Ferenac, Vina Gašparini Denis, OPG Geržinić, Vina Pilato, OPG Pino Rossi, Poljoprivredni obrt O.Rossi , OPG Mišel Simonović, PTO Sošić Sosich wines. Moreover, Agrolaguna, the second largest winery in Croatia with 47.36 ha of vineyards, also produces its best and most appreciated wines here, named after Vižinada.
Some of the local winemakers started their wine story about a hundred years ago which younger generations have successfully carried on. Thanks to them, Vižinada can boast of being the municipality with the greatest number of wineries and vineyards per capita.
One of the reasons why so many family winemakers have successfully built and maintained a wine tradition right here for generations is certainly because the position is attractive for the cultivation of many agricultural crops including vines. In a small area there are three types of soil – red, white and gray, which are all suitable for growing the most diverse varieties of wine. Most of the vineyards around Vižinada are located on the plateau above the Mirna river valley, at 200 to 300 meters above sea level. It is exactly the elevation that has always provided some ideal climatic conditions – protection from both high summer temperatures and lower temperatures during cool nights. The suitable land and microclimate managed by family traditions and brought to excellence by modern technologies in production, have contributed to making the terroir of Vižinada become so unique.
Due to the distinctiveness of its terroir, Vižinada is known for the exceptional quality of some autochthonous varieties such as Istrian Malvasia and Teran. Moreover, in Vižinada some international varieties such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, white sauvignon, syrah and others, are successfully cultivated, as well as various blends such as rosé wines and sparkling wines.
In the nineties, thanks also to some family winemakers from Vižinada, an intensive promotion of Istria as a wine region started. By appearing on the wine scene and by winning the first places, the winemakers paved the way for the further development of local winemaking and for the glory of Istrian wines, which has continued nowadays. The quality and the recognition of Vižinada´s terroir wines is confirmed year after year by numerous medals and awards won at prestigious national and international award-winning events – from regional Vinistra and Vinovita to the European and international fairs such as Vinitaly, Decanter, IWC, IWSC.
