14 editor-picked estates growing Merlot in Istria.
Where to taste Merlot 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.
Savudrija estate founded in 1996 across 17 hectares of Bujstina soil, working Malvazija and Teran alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot under the Contarini and Terre Bianche labels.
Tasting: Winery tastings Monday-Friday 8:00-15:00, Saturday 9:00-14:00, closed Sunday; enoteca open Monday-Saturday 10:00-19:00, Sunday 10:00-14:00.
Tip: The enoteca keeps longer hours than the winery itself if you arrive without a booking.
Koreniki estate near Umag focused almost entirely on two grapes, Malvazija Istarska and Teran, bottled as Gran Malvazija and Gran Teran alongside a Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend called Grabar.
Tasting: Cellar-door visits and tastings by reservation via the winery's contact page.
Tip: Grabar, the Merlot-Cabernet blend, is the estate's departure from its usual two-grape focus.
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.
Porec-based wine, olive oil and cheese producer whose Vina Laguna label covers Malvazija Istarska, Teran, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon alongside the Festigia range and Riviera, an alcohol-free line.
Tip: Vina Laguna's bottles are the most widely stocked Istrian wines in Croatian supermarkets, a useful benchmark taste before visiting smaller cellars.
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.
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.
Sisan estate south of Pula run by winemaker Bruno Trapan across fourteen labels, from Ponente and Istraditional Malvazija to Teran, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah bottlings.
Tasting: Premium tastings of 5-7 wines with food pairings, EUR30-40. Open Monday-Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 17:00-22:00, Sunday by appointment.
Tip: The Double Trouble and The One blends sit outside the estate's varietal range and are worth asking for if pouring.
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.
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.