Croatian Istria and Kvarner

The island of Susak is one of the specialties of this region, all made of sand, covered with vineyards and reeds. The acidic sandy soil proved to be antiphyloxeric, so the island was one of the few places in Europe where phylloxera (Phylloxera vastatrix) did not ravage vineyards in the late 19th century. The islanders easily noticed the comparative advantage, turned the island into a large vineyard and made good money in times of wine shortage. The autochthonous varieties of the island of Trojiščina and Sansigot have almost disappeared, but today the native vineyards are being re-created and returned to production.

The Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč, founded by the Istrian Parliament, began its work in 1875 and introduced new wine varieties into the Istrian climate, those more resistant to downy mildew and other grapevine diseases. The most important activities of the institute are scientific research of vines, the quality of olive oil and brandy, and in addition help in preserving them, by transferring new knowledge related to the production and marketing business and further development of wine tourism. 

This wine region is especially oriented towards tourism and the wines of this region are an unavoidable part of the tourist offer. Well-marked and recognizable wine roads lead to a large number of winemakers who, in addition to excellent Istrian wines, also offer local food. The rich tourist offer of Istria, with developed eno-gastro-tourism and numerous events related to wine (“Vinistra”, “Open Cellars Day”, “Wine Day”, etc.), attracts a large number of tourists every year. In 2014 and 2015, Istria was included in the top 10 wine destinations in the world, and in 2016 in the top 10 wine destinations in Europe.