3 natural spots in Istria, editor-picked by Cork & Curve. All dietary guides in Istria.
Clai ★ 4.6
Buje and the Bujstina · Brajki 105, Krasica, 52460 Buje, Croatia
Clai vinifies with spontaneous skin-contact fermentation and no added enzymes, selected yeasts or malolactic bacteria, ageing in wood on extended lees before bottling without micro or sterile filtration.
Tip: Ask specifically for the skin-contact Malvazija to taste the house natural-wine style at its most direct.
Roxanich ★ 4.6
Motovun and the Mirna Valley · Kanal 30, 52424 Motovun, Croatia
Roxanich describes its roughly 20 labels as organic in approach, ranging from crisp whites to long-aged and macerated orange and red wines made with minimal cellar intervention.
Tip: Book the scheduled tasting slot rather than a walk-in, the cellar runs four sittings a day and fills ahead.
Piquentum ★ 4.5
Buzet · Sv. Ivan 3/3, 52420 Buzet, Croatia
Winemaker Dimitri Brecevic hand-picks fruit for Piquentum, wild-ferments with no added bacteria or enzymes, and bottles unfiltered from a cellar in a 1930s water cistern in Buzet.
Tip: Piquentum's Teran ages slower than most Istrian reds, ask the cellar which vintage is drinking best right now rather than reaching for the newest release.