Benazić

Upon arriving in Valdebek, Pula’s residential neighborhood, it is easy to get lost in labyrinth of twisty roads that often end up in a private garden. Benazić family’s house stands out from the surroundings as it is literally embraced by a minimalist cube-shaped building that hosts their new winery and tasting room. The family originates from Pićan, a small hilltop town in East Istria, where they inherited the land on steep slopes just below nearby hamlet of Sveta Katarina. As Neven Benazić explains, it is one of those special places where locals have been growing grapes from time immemorial, a place that triggered restart of the family wine tradition. It was in 2007 he had his first bottled wine.

Sveta Katarina vineyard covers area of 4.5 hectares and is planted with Malvazija, Teran, Cabernet Sauvignon, Yellow Muscat and a bit of Gamay. It is situated 350 m above Raša river valley where constant cooling breeze from the Učka mountain towards the sea and vice versa is ensured. Moreover, Neven incorporated innovative methods during the harvest that aren’t commonly seen in Istria like covering harvested grapes with dry ice to ensure it can arrive with all their aromas to the winery in Pula where they are pressed. The quality of this new terroir got it first confirmation in the award Neven got on the 2013 Vinistra fair where his 2011 Yellow Muscat was proclaimed the best Muscat in Istria.

From 4.5 hectares in Sveta Katarina and 0.5 ha in Campanož, a vineyard very close to the winery where mostly Malvazija is grown, he currently produces 12,000 bottles but the plan is to reach around 60,000 bottles in few years.