4 editor-picked estates growing Cabernet Franc in Istria.
Where to taste Cabernet Franc in Istria: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Young Buje winery built around the Kastanjari and Cupiga vineyard sites, whose 2023 Marchiori Malvazija Istarska took a Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards.
Tasting: Tasting room opened 2023, pouring wine, olive oil and rakija flights with views of Buje's old town.
Tip: The 2023 tasting room looks straight over Buje's old town; ask for a seat on the terrace side.
Vizinada family estate cultivating vines since 1850 and now run by father-and-son team Franc and Oliver Arman, working Malvazija, Teran and a broad international range alongside a sparkling Stanzia Brut.
Tasting: Tastings by reservation. Summer hours Monday-Saturday 8:00-20:00, winter Monday-Saturday 8:00-16:00.
Tip: The terrace tasting room looks toward both the sea and the Alps on a clear day.
Vizinada estate whose first vineyard was planted by great-grandfather Ivan Arman in the 1880s, now run by Marijan Arman with daughters Ines and Nina across Teran, Malvazija Rezerva and a Rose Duet blend.
Tasting: Guided cellar tastings with a tasting room and shop; reservation by phone or email.
Tip: Ask for the Rose Duet alongside the Teran to see the same red-soil fruit in two different registers.
Fourth-generation Vizinada family cellar farming the same hillside since 1850, personal reservation-only tastings poured by the Arman family in a spot most coastal visitors never reach.
Why locals love it: Vizinada sits inland off the Momjan and Bujstina tourist circuit, and the winery works by reservation only rather than chasing drop-in coach traffic.
Tip: Ask for the Perla Bianca alongside the Malvasia Classic, the estate's own house blend rarely appears on outside wine lists.