The Medea winery is part of a larger firm that deals with primary agricultural production and was started in mid-1954 as a cooperative winery that brought together local producers. It was privatised in the 1990s and has since then operated as an independent winery under the present name. In 2005 the Medea brand was created. An architecture of archaic appearance conceals the most up to date top-flight technology for the making of a high quality and yet reasonably priced product. In the last few years a lot has been invested in the vineyards (in 2013 the vineyards were renewed and 18 hectares were planted with new vines; in 2015, there were 13 new hectares of Malvazia) and in the winery itself (in 2015 the production system was improved, renovated and modernised – the bottling line, the press, a red wine vinificator), all an expression of the desire for better and more modern wines and lower production costs, a precondition for price competitiveness on the market.
Marko Krstačić and Ivan Perišić are young and successful oenologists in Medea. Marko says: This is my sixth vintage here, and not a single one has been like any other. We want to use the resources we have in the best possible way. A big step forward was made in the last five years, the result of enormous efforts. I believe that premium and quality wines have always been made here, but there was a lack of energy in marketing and creating a market presence.
Wines are made only from the firm’s own plantations between Pula and Medulin, as well as from a one of a kind vineyard in the very south of the commune of Ližnjan (Punta Greca). Punta Greca and Montiron are vineyards that we call cru, for they are really special. Montiron because of the variety, and Punta Greca because of the location, the soil (a mixture of sand, clay and red soil that keeps the moisture and in spite of the conditions never suffers from drought, and gives a special aroma) and because the peninsula surrounded by the sea is exposed to bora and sirocco, salt spray and all day sun. We concluded that we have unique localities, for we are right in the south (warmer, with not so much rain). For this reason they make different final products than the rest of Istria. The wines have a different aromatic profile. Of the 60 hectares of vineyard, 44 go to Malvazia, 2 to Chardonnay, 9 to Merlot, 2 to Teran, 2 to Cabernet Sauvignon and 1 to Refosco.
There are basic and premium lines (the latter are Punta Greca and Montiron, in which they want to show the particular landrace and characteristic wines from these unique sites). Montiron was created in 2010, and was pronounced the first premium quality wine of southern Istria, and in 2011 the best Croatian Malvazia. They decided to put this outstanding vintage into a special bottle, a special production line. This is old, indigenous Istrian Malvazia, one of the last well-preserved vineyards (35 years old) on red soil, which has naturally low yields. There is a short maceration, and some of the wine is fermented in wooden barrels and placed for four months sur lie. It comes out onto the market late, only in June, and is a very particular wine, complexly structured and well harmonised.
Punta Greca is a Merlot, which ages for 18 to 24 months in wood, and then is blended, with natural sedimentation and bottling without filtering. The result is a gorgeous, fruity, fresh wine that has won the hearts of numerous buyers. The 2011 (2,500 bottles) was sold out in just four months, and the 2012 also; now on sale is the 2014 vintage.
The Medea line now consists of six wines with a new visual identity: Istrian Malvazia, Chardonnay, Rosé (a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Refosco), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Teran. For the first time this year, there were 5,000 bottles of Chardonnay and of Cabernet Sauvignon. The packaging is highly approachable and attractive to all (this year with a screw cap), and they are also very high quality wines at a reasonable price.
In the future they plan to beef up the production. Next year they expect an increase of 200,000 litres (from the recently planted vineyards), and in a few years time about 450,000 litres. Another aim is to enlarge the range. Wine from the barrel is sold only in the winery.
The young oenologists conclude: We like working here, for in the world of modern wines, this is a very young winery, and accordingly offers lots of possibilities for improvement, challenges, imagination and creative. We can develop and grow together with the young vineyards. And we are going to go on working on the quality; we are stronger with every harvest.
