Yes: instead of “istarska malvazija” we prefer to call it “malvazija istarska” because it seems to us that such a definition further emphasises its elite production area. We are convinced that the inherent value of the vine, as we will explain later, is just a tool used to achieve the goal, which is a well-defined and unrepeatable quality. With the fact that terroir is an indispensable envelope that unites everything. To complete the story, there is the climate and the soil, which represent the final touch.

It is a combination that affirms diversity and creates identity with, of course, the irreplaceable “cooperation” with man himself. Marijan Bubola is a professor at the Institute for Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč, Istria. He is an expert viticulture researcher. We have had a long conversation with him about Istrian Malvasia, and apart from looking at the documents he kindly gave us, we also exchanged opinions and took into account all the aspects that allowed us to expand our knowledge about the white wine that represents Istria.

“First of all, we can say that we noticed that the origin of Istrian Malvasia has not yet been clarified, although it is considered an autochthonous variety typical of Istria,” says Professor Bubola. The assumption of some authors that it originates from Greece is mainly based on the name of the variety, from which, as we know, many different vines got the same name. It should be added that several genetic studies have proved that Istrian Malvasia is different from other varieties of Malvasia. Historical research carried out by the University of Zagreb and the Poreč School document the ancient cultivation of this variety in today’s Croatia, so it could be assumed that it originated in Dalmatia.”

 

From DNA research so far, it is obvious that Istrian Malvasia is not related to other Mediterranean Malvasias. In fact, it is genetically relatively similar to Sultanina, whose properties differ greatly from Malvasia, and is used in the statistical analysis of the results only to increase the diversity between the varieties. None of the research carried out over the last two or three decades on the pedigree of the grapevine has found a relative of Istrian Malvasia. So, at this moment, the thesis advocated by Professor Bubola is confirmed: although it is not known with certainty where it comes from, it only resembles itself. “The first historical traces of the appearance and cultivation of Malvasia in Istria date back to the Middle Ages (Vivoda, 1996, p. 13), while detailed descriptions of its characteristics, especially the wine, date back to 1891, when Istrian wine producers presented it at an exhibition in Zagreb.” (Despot., 1976, p. 106-107).

 

Professor Bubola reveals to us that “the first certain document to talk about Malvasia in Istria (published in the Archeografo Triestino journal in 1837) is that of the Novigrad bishop, priest and scholar Giacomo Filippo Tommasini (Jacobus Philippus Tomasinus) (Padua, 1595 – Venice, 1655) who was also a doctor of theology, a writer of philosophical works, biographies, erudite bibliographies, catalogues and “tabulas”. “He came from an ancient noble family and is important for Istria because he was the bishop of the Novigrad Diocese for a long time (1641-1655). A note on Malvasia is found in his work De Commentari storici geografo della Provincia dell’Istria, libri otto (1641).

It is a multidisciplinary work that also represents a contribution to history, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, and the mentality of human groups, as well as a contribution to the knowledge of Istrian society and the natural environment of that time. In the fourth volume of his work Commentari, Tommasini lists 15 Istrian varieties, including Malvasia.

“It’s hard to imagine”, thinks Marijan Bubola, “that in the nineteenth century white grape varieties occupied only 10% of the total vineyard area. Of that 90% of black grapes, 80% was Teran. It was only after the First World War that the amount of the white variety grew rapidly, including the Istrian Malvasia. Following the Second World War, its share already exceeded 40% of the vineyard area in the region, and today it is cultivated on slightly less than 60% of the total vineyard area.”

In the book Malvasia istriana (Kopar, 2003), the author Vido Vivoda mentions a very interesting document: “To support and promote the direction of viticulture with regard to the production of high-quality wines, a meeting of experts in viticulture and winemaking took place in Pula on November 6, 1931, about which in brief reports prof. Dalmaso: It has been decided that white varieties will have the absolute advantage for the production of premium and luxury wines. Istrian Malvasia will certainly be the most widespread because it produces truly recognisable wines… given that the conditions of Istria’s natural environment favour quality production.”

The first ampelographic description was published by Libutti in 1913 in the journal L’Istria Agricola. Periodico quindicinale dell’organo dell’Istituto agrario, del Consiglio agrario e della commissione d’imboschimento (Agricultural Istria. A fortnightly periodical by the Agricultural Institute, Agricultural Council and Forestry Commission), under the name “White Malvasia”, which corresponds precisely to Istrian Malvasia. “When some autochthonous varieties of grapevine grown in Istria are mentioned” local Malvasia is still defined as white Malvasia which, apart from being different from black Malvasia by the colour of the fruit, represents – more than a variety – a tribe of grape varieties that usually differ from each other by the name of the different countries where they are grown. Thus, there are: Malvasia di Toscana, del Piemonte, di Candia, di Lipari and various others. It is likely, the note continues, “that the white Malvasias that have been cultivated in our region since ancient times are only different subvarieties of the same variety and consequently have different characteristics.” The L’Archeografo Triestino. Raccolta di opuscoli e notizie per Trieste, volume IV journal, from 1837 writes: “as far as the variety of grapes is concerned, three varieties of low grapes are planted here; one is called pelosa (hairy). People from Piran call it calcionesa. The second, although it is a white variety, is called Ribolla, and the third white, Pirella. Among the tall vines, they estimate that the main black variety is Refosco, also known as Terran Grande. Among the whites, Cividin stands out, with a smaller grape, and Tribiano, although there are a large number of other varieties such as Moscato, which is widely used today, and Malvasia Imperatoria with large and long grapes, and others.”

 

Very interesting quotes come from a text published in the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region by Enos Costantini, Claudio Mattaloni and Carlo Petrussi, who in their magnificent work La vite nella storia e nelle cultura del Friuli (The vine in the history and culture of the Friuli region (Forum , 2007) write: “Even from reading the statutes of the Friuli region, which our cities and towns wrote for themselves to regulate civil life (between 1400 and 1500), we conclude that Malvasia wine has always been foreign, so the exact opposite to wines that are defined as Terrani.” As further confirmation of the importance and value of this wine, Costantini and his colleagues note that they “examined volume VI of Di Manzano’s Annali for the period from 1388 to 1420 and found that Malvasia wine was mentioned 26 times, almost always as a gift to the powerful or their envoys. A numerical comparison with other local wines (from the Friuli region, author’s note) will not be useless: Rabiola wine (or similar names) is mentioned 8 times, Romania three times, Pignolo twice. Terrano, or locally produced wine, appears thirteen times. The monetary value of Terrano is 3 times lower than that of Malvasia.”

However, these wines (Malvasia) spread to such an extent that as early as the seventeenth century, the custom of calling the locality Malvasia where wines imported from the east or, as they were also called, “Greek wines” were sold, started.

Again, the famous oenologist Giovanni Dalmasso, in the introduction to the book Malvasie, published almost 50 years ago in the magazine for viticulture and winemaking (Rivista di viticoltura e di enologia), wrote: “If we had to list all the vines that, more or less legitimately, carry the name Malvasia and in the process tried to determine which have the right to keep that name and which do not, we would have to fill several pages, without hope of success.”

All of the above leads to thinking that they can be adapted to most European wine-growing regions, except for France, which has its own history and has served as an example for us all.

The vertical growth of wine quality that we see in Istria is also the result of a favourable convergence of various factors.

First, a better general economic condition of the population, which experienced a marked improvement in the early 1990s, and permanent economic and social political decisions.

Thanks to technicians who have completed professional schools and the international exchange of new winemaking techniques, better knowledge of viticulture and winemaking follows.

Finally, the birth of a new wine bourgeoisie that decided to introduce detailed innovations at the agronomic, oenological and market level in order to modernise the wine sector.

Private individuals accepted the risk of starting this socio-economic revolution that turned hundreds of farmers into successful entrepreneurs whose labels can now be found on the tables of the best restaurants, not only in Croatia. It also used to happen, although not at the same time, in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Spain and Portugal.

— The Istrian revival took shape in the early 1990s thanks to a small group of winemakers who rediscovered Malvasia and its history, and knew how to give it, because they wanted to, an identity and uniqueness – interpreting it in accordance with the style of our time.

 Although they were competitive on the market, in 1994, Istrian wine producers joined together to found Vinistra, the Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Istria, with the aim of promoting Istrian Malvasia around the world together with the region. Producers have always been the ones to understand the importance of investing in cellars, not only from the technological side, but also as places designed to be visited, starting wine tourism which, by expanding to hotels and restaurants, fills local coffers so well.

A group of visionaries, who talk about themselves in the final part of the book, encouraged the search for the best wines, transformed the vineyard environment, which is no longer based on quantity, but on quality for the implementation of a superior wine project. It is them we must thank that today Istrian Malvasia has found its place among the best European white wines.

Since history, the past, and tradition only gain value when there are those entrepreneurs who know how first of all to understand, appreciate, and ultimately improve them.

The components that make up the terroir have existed since time immemorial, although no one noticed them and no one realised that they needed to be brought to light.

One fact is certain: Malvasia remains the only wine in history to be at the centre of trade and winemaking for more than four centuries, that is, at least until 1669, when the Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean stole the island of Crete (Candia) from the Venetians, and with it a large part of the Malvasia production.

 

What is the reason for this success? Where does this fascinating story that has led it to become the first wine brand in the world begin, anticipating the marketing strategies of our time centuries in advance? How can we explain that Malvasia became a status symbol for wine thanks to the intuition of the pioneers of the time? After all, is Malvasia a wine or a variety?

All the questions we want to answer with this text, which was made possible by the engagement of an Istrian company based in the municipality of Bale – Meneghetti by Miroslav Plišo, now part of Meneghetti Winery and Relais Chateaux – wanted Malvasia to become one of the symbols of their top-quality production.