Darko DAROVEC, PhD,
Science and Research Centre of the Republic of Slovenia Koper,
SI-6000 Koper, Garibaldijeva 18
VITAM VITI
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The article summarises and exposes some of the major topics of the present publication and at the same time presents, on the basis of various historical documents, a survey of the earliest references to wine varieties and wine names in the area of northwestern Istra. The earliest mention in historical documents of a certain wine - excluding the reference from antiquity to the wine Pucinus which, however, has not been clearly defined as far as its locality is concerned - concern Rebula from the end of the 13th century, then various varieties of Muscats and finally Refosco and other wines, while Teran is at approximately the same time as Rebula (14th century) already referred to for the region of Friuli and Trieste hinterland. New wine varieties and wines from other regions can be to some greater extent detected for the dealt with region only in the unique oenological activities of the Koper polymath and encyclopaedist Gian Rinaldo Carli in the mid-eighteenth century. It is also interesting that the first wine-processing firm or branch in Koper was established by the French in 1889, i.e. by the French company J. Champion & C.ie Vins de Champagne Reims, by which champagne was made. And its premises at the foot of Belveder were also the first wine cellars of Vinakoper.
Zdenko FERLETIČ Koper City Council, SI-6000 Koper, Verdijeva 10 RED AND WHITE - AT ONE TIME RIPE
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For the title of his article the author used the motif of the contrast between red and white wines (which also happens to be an old saying of the Istran winegrowers) in order to describe the great technological changes experienced in the world by the winegrowing and winemaking trade in the last 50 years, when countries of the New World have also appeared as serious rivals to the traditional European winegrowing. Within this framework he analyses the current position of the Koper wine-producing region. The Koper wine-producing region has some excellent natural conditions for producing high-quality wines. Through the introduction of expert knowledge and technology their quality increased a great deal in the last 10 years and became competitive. As far as red wines are concerned, however, the Koper region has gained great advantage over other regions as a result of its specific pedoclimatic conditions. In order to be able to exploit these advantages, the author believes that winegrowers and winemakers should also work on the reputation and prestige of their wines and thus on the recognition of the entire Koper wine-producing region as the only genuine Mediterranean region in Central Europe.
Refosco can be considered a relatively limited local variety, which has in our country found a suitable - if not even the most suitable - place. Although wine specialist, the rules of which conform to the taste of the French and even more to the economic interests of the first wine-making "superpower", have always been reluctant to give it the highest prizes, it has certainly won the hearts of numerous lovers of quality wines. The consumption of red wines has been greatly influenced by the latest medical and oenologist discoveries, which have confirmed the medicinal properties of the constituents of red wines. In this field, the Refosco has a number of advantages over other wines. Although even the ancient Greeks discovered that wine was food, numerous contradicting polemics have been going on in this respect. The best known is the effect of wines on digestion and coronary illnesses. The latest findings, however, have confirmed favourable effect of wine on numerous other illnesses as well. The Refosco grapes do not yield only the famous Refosco wine. By combining knowledge and almost forgotten tradition of Slovene Istra it can be processed into the so-called sweet Refosco, sparkling Refosco and brandy from Refosco grapes.
With an analysis of the articles dealing with "wine" or "Dionysus's" topic published in the journal "La provincia dell'Istria", the contribution presents a specific view on wine culture in Istra. In all of the 28 volumes of the journal there are over 100 articles dealing with viticulture in the territory of Istra. As some texts tend to be repeated a number of times, only the more interesting half of the articles has been taken into account, with those of the greatest interest presented in the text. The articles clearly indicate the editorial policy of the journal. Generally a lot was written about grapes and wine, and the greatest amount of the journal's space was dedicated to vine pests. Some statistical data from the second half of the 19th century deserve to be mentioned as well.
The article presents some testimonies about wine culture in Istra, published between 1848 and 1899 by two Carniola journals: "Novice" (News) and "Kmetovalec" (Farmer). The articles speak either about particular places or enclose the entire Istran Peninsula. Those published in "Kmetovalec" are dedicated exclusively to professional viticultural issues, while those in "Novice" are more diverse, for they cover everything from the viticultural theory and travel diaries to folk manners and customs. The collected material has been separated into the following chapters: Vineyards, Work in Vineyards, The Rigours of the Weather, Grapevine Diseases and Pests, Harvesting and Crops, Processing of Grapes into Wine, Secondary Use of Grapeskins, Special Wines and their Natural Quality, Wine Quality, Wine Business, Wine in Folk Manners, Customs and Proverbs.
The processed archival materials have confirmed the fact that vineyards were an important source of income during the two World Wars for the greater part of Istran rural inhabitants. A criterion for the preparation of separate chapters in the present article was the quantity of material. Most of it refers to the school of agriculture, wine feasts, prices of wine as well as wine and grapes in general. The rest of it is dealt with chronologically, and some of the more important documents are analysed in greater detail.
On the basis of his memories and archival materials, the author acquaints us in his article with certain factors and reasons for the setting up of the wine cellars and the firm of Vinakoper. The company was officially founded with a notarial deed in 1947, although the first processing did not start before October 1950. As all the necessary works in the cellars were not finished before 1951, it was only the 1951 harvest that was actually fully processed in the new cellars. There were a number of reasons for that, including the fact that there was no modern plant for the activities of this kind in this region as yet, as well the endeavours of separate councils in the area of the former Free Territory of Trieste for the wine cellars to be situated within their borders. The most persevering in this respect were certainly the wine makers of Umag. Also interesting, however, are the author's comments on the labels of Vinakoper's products, which happen to be the author's property and accompany the entire publication.
The present contribution initially deals with the state of winegrowing, processing of grapes and the commercial aspects of wine at the end of the 80's in the cellars of Vinakoper. It also refers to how wine was being sold at that time as well as to its assortment structure from this particular period. The article further follows the sale of table, quality and top-quality wines in the first 5-year period (1990-1994), with an emphasis on the changes in the assortment of wines. Then it deals with and comments on the second 5-year period (1994-1999) in the very same way as on the previous period. At the same time it follows, with chronological accuracy, the making and marketing of new wines, and in the end presents as well as statistically processes the data on the firm's wines according to categories for the entire dealt with period.
The article examines some major assessments of the public opinion poll carried out for the needs of Vinakoper in the three Slovene Littoral councils. The poll was organised with the aim to establish the standpoints, relations and conduct of the questioned people towards wine and wine products made by this Koper firm. The firm's products are well known to the questioned people, and even more than that: in relation to the activities and products of Vinakoper a certain degree of positive identification was noted among the questioned people, and there were more than half of them who normally buy wine in the firm's wine shop. The wines that the inhabitants of the three councils consume and/or buy most often are Refosco, Malvasia and Chardonnay. The decision about the purchase of certain wines, however, is influenced especially by their quality and price.
Only wines with distinctive characteristics of certain viniferous areas can be labelled "of geographical origin". These characteristics, however, have been acquired exclusively in a certain viniferous region and enclose natural as well as human factors. This is how the notion of geographical origin was defined in Lisbon, Portugal. Geographical origin has contributed towards the development of a number of measures that tended towards certain protection of winegrowing interests in viniferous areas, in order to avoid various irregularities. By giving a wine the label "of geographical origin", we allot it characteristics that personify certain perfection. This is the reason why a homogenous association of winegrowing is necessary and why more attention to the indigenous varieties should be given at the same time. This is in our country contributed by the so-called Refosco Consortium, which is supposed to be a kind of a superstructure of the wine bill, with the aim to connect winegrowing and oenological cognitions of the last few years.
Istran wine road - or, to be more precise, Istran wine roads - should by the summer this year cover the entire wine-producing region, officially named The Land of Refosco, which encloses the area of the three councils in Slovene Istra. Since the area is rather expansive and diverse, no ideal routes can be drawn in it but will be divided into sections or branches. These will lead to certain places known for their natural and cultural heritage or other points of interest, e.g. to Osp, Hrastovlje, Gradin, Marezige and marje, to Korte and Baredi on the Izola side, or to Sv. Peter and Dragonja in the Piran Council. Farms, inns, oil-mills, people working with arts and crafts, wine shops and principals of other activities that supplement the wine-tourist capacities characteristic and typical of this area will be included. Additional offer includes sports and recreational activities, hunting, fishing, riding, cycling, walking and other forms of out-of-board-and-lodging capacities. Indigenous wine varieties, i.e. Malvasia and Refosco, as well as olives and olive oil are the main items for attracting gastronomically motivated visitors. For them this will also be a chance to get better acquainted with the specific cultural and ethnological heritage of the area that we could compare with the renowned Tuscany or name it, if we allow ourselves to be slightly conceited, Slovene Provence.
At least 6 bird species are known to breed periodically or regularly in the vineyards of Slovene Istra, or 9 species if abandoned vineyards are also taken into account. If built structures in vineyards and along them as well as various border surfaces are included, then the number of the breeding birds is even higher. One of the most common amongst them is Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus), while other birds choose vineyards as their breeding grounds less frequently. Istran vineyards are an important hunting grounds for some birds, including certain birds of prey and owls.
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