17 editor-picked estates growing Chardonnay in Istria.
Where to taste Chardonnay in Istria: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Krasica cellar in the Bujstina known for skin-contact and long-macerated wines, including the Ottocento range and single-vineyard Refosk bottlings from red-soil sites around Buje.
Tasting: Cellar-door tastings Monday-Friday 10:00-17:00, Saturday 10:00-14:00.
Tip: The Ottocento range shows the estate's longer-maceration house style; ask which vintage is currently pouring.
Multi-generation Brtonigla estate whose 4 Terre series separates Malvazija Istarska by soil type, alongside Kappi Teran and a wide indigenous and international varietal range.
Tasting: Cellar visits with a short winery and cellar presentation; reservation by phone or email.
Tip: The 4 Terre Malvazija series is a useful side-by-side lesson in how soil changes the same grape.
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.
Ohnici family cellar in the Vizinada hills producing Malvazija Istarska alongside Teran, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and a yellow Muscat, plus its own olive oil.
Tasting: Cellar-door visits by reservation via phone or email.
Tip: A small producer worth a call-ahead visit rather than a drop-in; the cellar sits well off the main Vizinada road.
Motovun estate and design hotel built around long-macerated, amphora and orange-wine styles across the Philosophy, Sorelle and First Roses collections, farmed on the slopes below the hill town.
Tasting: Guided tastings Tuesday-Sunday with slots at 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00, reservation required.
Tip: The estate is also a design hotel, so a tasting can extend into an overnight stay below Motovun.
Visnjan estate dating to 1842 and run today by Peter Poletti, working Malvazija Istriana, Refosk, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon; the 2024 Chardonnay medalled at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2025.
Tasting: Guided wine and olive oil tastings by appointment, in the tavern or on a terrace over the coastline. Open Monday-Saturday 10:00-19:00.
Tip: Terrace tastings look out over roughly 30 km of coastline toward Porec.
Bale estate combining a Relais and Chateaux wine hotel with roughly 40,000 vines and a 13-label wine range, plus its own olive groves, restaurants and beach club.
Tasting: Wine Lounge tastings pairing estate wine with the winery's own olive oil, on site at the Meneghetti Wine Hotel.
Tip: The Wine Lounge tasting sits inside the working winery rather than the hotel's public rooms.
Golas estate and relais outside Bale pouring Muscat, Chardonnay and Malvazija alongside a rose, its tastings built around local prosciutto and cheese pairings.
Tasting: Wine tastings and guided tours with local prosciutto and cheese, Tuesday-Sunday 11:00-19:00, Monday by request; group bookings for up to 60 guests.
Tip: Group tastings run up to 60 guests, so this is a reliable option for a larger party without a private booking elsewhere.
Vodnjan estate farming roughly 60 hectares near Medulina and Pula, making Malvazija Istarska, Chardonnay, a Refosk-Merlot-Cabernet rose, Teran and a Malvazija-based traditional-method sparkling.
Tasting: Tastings at the adjoining ByIstria tasting room, Monday-Friday 8:00-16:00, Saturday 8:00-13:00; guided tastings by advance booking.
Tip: The ByIstria tasting room next door pours Medea alongside other south-Istria producers if the winery itself is fully booked.
Buje hilltop tasting room from the Bastian family pouring Malvazija and international varietals alongside olive oil and rakija, terrace views over the old town, open Tuesday to Sunday.
Tasting: A modern tasting room in Buje's old town pours wine, extra virgin olive oil and house rakije with a terrace view over the hilltop town, open Tuesday to Sunday without a booking requirement.
Hillside tasting terrace above Visnjan with coastal views, pouring Poletti's Malvazija Istarska, Refosk and Chardonnay range alongside estate olive oil, open Monday to Saturday.
Tasting: Tastings on the estate's terrace look over roughly 30 kilometres of coastline, pairing the six-wine range with the estate's own olive oil.
Vizinada family cellar dating to the 1880s, winemaker Marijan Arman leading tastings himself on a terrace overlooking the vines toward the coast and the Alps on a clear day.
Why locals love it: A near neighbour of Franc Arman on the same Vizinada lane, small enough that the family still answers the phone and books tastings one email at a time.
Tip: Ask for the terrace seating, the view over the vines to the coast is the estate's quiet signature.
Small Vizinada family farm, O.P.G. Gerzinic, growing Malvazija Istarska as its flagship alongside Muskat Zuti and Teran without a formal visitor programme.
Why locals love it: No public tasting-room hours are published, visits are arranged directly by phone or email with the family.
Tip: Call ahead rather than showing up unannounced, this is a working family farm without a formal visitor desk.
Nine-hectare Visnjan hillside estate with a 30-kilometre coastal view, 2024 Chardonnay recognised at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2025, tucked off the main Vizinada wine road.
Why locals love it: Fourteen kilometres inland from Porec, off the main Vizinada to Motovun wine road most visitors follow.
Tip: Bring an appetite for the olive oil tastings, Poletti pours its own oil alongside every wine flight.
Old-town Buje tasting terrace pouring wine, olive oil and house rakija together, tucked into the hilltop streets rather than out on the open Momjan wine road.
Why locals love it: Inside Buje's old town rather than on the open-country Momjan wine road, easy to walk past without knowing it is there.
Tip: Climb up in the late afternoon for the terrace light over the old town rooftops.