The New Old World
May / June 2023
DISCOVER CLAI
This month we invite you to discover the wines of Giorgio Clai, colloquially known as "the Godfather of Istrian winemaking".
As recently as 2020, Hugh Johnson (OBE and esteemed wine writer) in his best selling wine guide Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book confirms: “Slovenia and Croatia still lead in orange/amber wines”. I don't think many people would argue that, as far as Croatia is concerned, this is in large part due to the influence and impact of Giorgio Clai.
THE WINEMAKER
After a long and successful career in the restaurant industry in Trieste, Italy, Giorgio Clai, followed his passion and returned to his ancestral home, in Istria, to take over his family vineyard.
Giorgio'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 or amber wines. These wines are food wines, well balanced, rich and complex.
Historically, in Istria, Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (north-east Italy), orange wine making was the norm and Giorgio is resolute in his mission of sustaining and evolving this tradition.
Giorgio quickly became recognized as a pioneer in orange wine making - 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."
Giorgio formally announced his long planned retirement last month. We knew it was coming, but we still couldn't help but receive the news with a degree of sadness. Fortunately his legacy lives on. Clai Winery has taken a new step into the future with a talented young winemaker from South Africa, Tim Whitfield, taking over at the helm. The face may be new, but the vision remains the same.
With these wines, we invite you to celebrate Giorgio's remarkable legacy.
You have in your hands some of his last vintages - be sure to savour every sip.
THE WINERY
Clai's estate lies in Istria, in the small village of Krasica, south of the town of Buje, in the northern part of the Istrian peninsula, a short hop to the Slovenian border. The property encompasses 10 hectares of vineyards and 5 hectares of olive trees.
Around 200m above sea level, the vineyards enjoy plenty of sunshine as well as cool and salty sea breezes coming from Adriatic, some 10 km to the west. The vineyards are situated on grey/white limestone flysch soil. Its low fertility and good drainage provide the perfect amount of stress for the old vines, but also an inviting habitat for the younger Baracija vineyards to flourish.
All wines are certified organic, and winemaking techniques follow natural and biodynamic principles. Winemaking is all done by hand with a meticulous degree of care. Grapes are hand-picked, de-stemmed and gravity-fed into open-topped oak barrels for fermentation, malolactic conversion and maceration.
THE WINES
This month's selection introduces you to the intriguing world of skin-contact wines: we would recommend starting off with Baracija Malvazija - a great introduction to orange wine - before progressing to the inimitable Ottocento Bijeli. The trio of wines is completed with an earthy and robust north Italian style red.
BARACIJA MALVAZIJA
JOS'S TAKE
Natural, organic, skin-contact wines are all the rage right now. These wines can literally take all shapes and forms, and the majority do not cut it for me. Rest assured, however, there is nothing cloudy or funky going on here. Complex, clean, crisp and structured. My go-to orange.
BARACIJA MALVAZIJA
An intriguing skin-contact (orange) wine.
The grape juice macerates on its skins for 5 - 10 days. After pressing and fermentation, it ages for 2 years in large oak barrels.
MALVAZIJA ISTARSKA
100% Malvazija Istarska (or Malvasia Istriana). Istria's flagship white.
Very versatile - can be enjoyed sparkling, as a fresh white, oak aged, or macerated.
TASTING NOTES
"Baracija is the name of the site, from which the first single vineyard version of this malvazija was made in 2017. Vines are relatively young, and grapes are given 5-10 days skin contact, leading to a pronounced gold colour. The aromas and flavours are full of inviting herbal, rosemary, incense-inflected notes, notably clean, with lovely, firm texture and terrific depth and length. Potent and powerful, 14% alcohol. A clean and stylish version of amber wine."
John Szabo, MS (92 points)
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
Serve lightly chilled at 13 - 15°C.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
The perfect partner for spicier fare, including paella, stir fry and Asian curries.
OTTOCENTO BIJELI
JOS'S TAKE
If you could only drink one wine for the rest of your life, which wine would you chose?
When posed the question, Ottocento Bijeli was Giorgio Clai's choice.
Coming from a legend like Giorgio, this statement speaks volumes. Unique, rich and intriguing. This wine has to be tried to be believed.
I guarantee you will be surprised, and I hope, as I was, that you will also be delighted.
OTTOCENTO BIJELI
A blend of Malvazija Istarska and Pinot Grigio, enhanced with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc.
A gorgeous amber colour, thanks in large part to the influence of the pinkish Pinot Grigio skins. This is a wine of great complexity, with a wonderful nose, intense on the palate, with a long finish.
A wine to be sipped and savoured, never rushed.
A wine for contemplation.
SKIN-CONTACT WHITES
Also known as orange, amber or macerated white wine, skin-contact whites follow the same winemaking process as red wines.
These wines stand out for their intensity of colour, which can vary from gold to deep amber. The skin-contact during the winemaking process imparts both colour and tannins, making orange wines more structured and complex than your average white, and very versatile when it comes to food pairings.
TASTING NOTES
"Bijeli means white in Croatian, while "Ottocento" refers to the "old way" of doing things, like it was the 18th century. This is a blend of pinot grigio and malvazija, plus a splash of sauvignon blanc, the last vintage to contain the latter grape, as it has been grafted over subsequently. The colour is deep amber and the aromatics have shifted far out on the oxidative side of the spectrum, with bruised orchard fruit, quince paste and similar autumnal fruit character. The palate is powerful and deep, with gently tannic texture, mild bitterness, excellent extraction and depth, and notable saltiness. Fine overall balance." John Szabo, MS (92 points.)
"The lustre of shot silk, this is a wine that harnesses great power and richness, yet somehow soars away on the palate. If I could have kept one wine in my glass all night, it would have been this one". Jancis Robinson (2010)
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
Serve lightly chilled at 13 - 15°C.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
Our preferred pairing for Veal saltimbocca, or any rich, flavourful pasta dishes.
BARACIJA REFOŠK
JOS'S TAKE
Dense, earthy and robust. The younger brother of Clai's legendary Brombonero - a wine which was challenging to get your hands on a few years back, and is no doubt even more so now.
If you love this one, let me know. There is a magnum of Brombonero resting in the terracotta wine cellar of Villa Oliva in Krasica, just waiting to be shared.
One of the many perks of being Clai's neighbour.
BARACIJA REFOŠK
A dry, balanced and savoury red that is both in parts familiar and unusual. Medium to full bodied, with a surprising salinity and freshness to the finish.
Romantically and enticingly described by Canadian wine critic & Italian wine specialist, Michael Godel, as having a "rose floral, earth musky and plum pudding aromatic weave" that is "quite intoxicating".
REFOŠK & teran
Made from refošk (aka refosco dal peduncolo rosso) , inter-planted with Teran in the same vineyard, two varieties that were originally from the same family but that have evolved into two branches considered by many experts as separate .
In this blend, the Teran provides a lower alcohol, higher acid profile, perfectly balancing out the refošk.
TASTING NOTES
"Intriguing, immediately arresting red wine here from Istria (Croatia), with a fruit-backwards mix of fresh rubber, dry seaweed, white mushroom and damp earth, really a wine without easy paradigm or comparative. The palate shows light, dusty tannins, and more importantly, an remarkable saline taste component that at once delivers freshness as well as desire for additional sips. I can't say there's wide and immediate appeal here, but it's such an intriguing wine that it grows and grows on you, with twists and turns that keep you guessing. A wine of fantasy for intrepid, exploratory drinkers. Depth and intensity are undeniable."
John Szabo, MS (90 points)
SERVING RECOMMENDATIONS
Best served at 16 - 18 ° C.
PAIRING RECOMMENDATIONS
Ideal partner for venison and game meats.