What to drink in Trieste

When talking about wines from Friuli Venezia Giulia, most people immediately think of the famous whites of Collio and Colli Orientali, the precious and rare passito Picolit and Ramandolo, the Refosco and the other wines from Grave, but they often tend to forget that piece of land that stretches towards Trieste, along the Adriatic coast; the Karst. 

Indeed, despite being so rocky and arid, the Karst is actually a DOC area. International vines such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Semillon, Cabernet and Merlot grow successfully among its hills. But it's the native vines such as Vitovska, Malvasia, Terrano that stand out for their peculiarity. And that's what you should drink when visiting Trieste and tasting the local cuisine.

Photo by Jordon Kaplan on Unsplash

The most typical wine of the area of Trieste is the Terrano, also named 'Karst blood'. The reason for that is the high concentration of Iron in the soil that gives the wine, made from Refosco d'Istria grapes, a deep, intense dark ruby colour. 

On the nose, Terrano is rich in fruity aromas such as raspberries, blueberries and black currant.  

In the mouth it is rustic and characterized by a very typical and intense acidity, sometimes even going towards harshness but always balanced with medium body and light but young tannins.

This relatively rare wine is particularly suitable for pork, and it's also excellent with well-flavored fish, but it gives its best paired with the dark and savory Karst ham; an absolute must try! 

And, if you love its strong flavor, you can't miss the Terrano wine route, a food and wine itinerary that crosses the Trieste Karst, touching trattorias and restaurants where you can taste typical dishes accompanied by the this little local gem.

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

Among the whites, the most peculiar and representative one is the Vitovska, a very particular grape probably originating from Slovenia. For long time it has been used only in blends especially with Malvasia. But more recently a bunch of brave winemakers has started to focus more on its charactestics and use unusual techniques such as long fermentation on skins and aging in terracotta amphoraes. 

The result is usually an intense orange coloured wine with mixed complex flavours of fruit like apricot or cooked apple, notes of nuttiness and flowers. In the mouth it's fresh, with a good texture and some minerality especially if passed in terracotta. Thanks to its good acidity, it is also very long-lived. It is excellent as an aperitif, and particularly versatile in terms of food pairings; it goes well with light fish appetizers, sushi, fish first courses, white meat and fresh cheeses.

Photo by Stefan Johnson on Unsplash

Malvasia Istriana is the other local white grape, now considered indigenous but actually coming from Greece. Contrary to Vitovska it is a vine that does not tolerate well the Bora or even drought, but in the best years it seems to be able to create great results.  In the glass, it is generally warm and full-bodied, even fat, with little freshness but distinctly savoury. Chromatically it shows a beautiful straw yellow with intense golden reflections and a good consistency of extract, which on the nose opens with notes of fruit, typically golden apple, yellow peach or pineapple, flowers and herbs of the Mediterranean scrub.

The fresher and lighter wines are ideal as aperitif or in combination with delicate appetizers, such as marinated salmon or scallops au gratin and raw seafood. The bigger wines go well with fish soups and risottos, tuna with sesame, or monkfish.