Clai Baracija Malvazija 2017
Type: Orange Wine
Country: Croatia
Region: Istria-Kvarner
Grape Variety: 100% Istrian Malvazija
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
Winemaking: Grapes are hand-picked, destemmed 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 a temperature of 30 Celsius degrees. Pigeage is done at least three times a day during which period wine undergoes malo-lactic fermentation. After pressing it is aged for one year in big oak barrels (1000 to 2500l)
Color: Deep gold
Nose: Pleasant nose with hints of apple cider and a bit of salinity
Palate: Fresh and fruity with nutty notes over a medium body and light tannins
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.”
