Trieste Christmas Markets: Wines & Truffles
by Brough Gurney-Randall
The tongue-twister region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, or Friuli for short, is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets and a frequent destination for Tastes clients. Not only is this north-eastern border region unexpectedly beautiful, it also boasts some of the most interesting and unique wines of Italy.
On a recent visit, Tastes’ founder William Goodacre and I took our explorations a little farther, crossing the border and heading south into Croatia to investigate the Istrian peninsula. Our mission? To discover what Friuli’s neighbour might offer our clients. It turns out, rather a lot!
Here’s a quick summary – to whet your appetite.
Our journey began in Trieste, Italy’s largest port and the global centre of coffee culture.
Trieste
The city faces – and embraces – the sea. Once the gateway to the Hapsburg Empire, Trieste retains a stately grandeur that reflects the heady days of its aristocratic youth. It has a certain central European reserve, but its maritime prowess and understated wealth are almost tangible.
The epicentre of the city is the magnificent Piazza Unita D’Italia (pictured above) – and being December, the square was lit by a dozen large Christmas trees lining each side, which gives you some idea of the scale of the place.
We stayed on the piazza itself, in considerable comfort, at the Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta. Come dinner-time, Matteo Metullio, Michelin-starred chef of the hotel’s Piccolo restaurant insisted we try his star dishes: spaghettini with cream and white truffle, followed by foie gras with balsamic onions on brioche – and who were we to argue? A rich combo, to be sure, but oh so good with local grape, Vitovska, from our old friend Edi Kante. To my surprise the house prosecco was a delight, unusually full of flavour yet as fresh as a daisy. It made the perfect aperitif and married well with the restaurant’s amazing pastry desserts, conjured by chef Kevin Fejzullai – delightful little cakes that looked like intricate ceramics – truly, an edible masterpiece!
On route to Croatia via Slovenia
Next morning, having resisted a further glass of prosecco at breakfast, we set off for Croatia, travelling via Slovenia. Cosmopolitan Italy yielded quickly to rural Slovenia as the satnav lady talked us down increasingly remote roads towards our destination, the medieval town of Motovun. The countryside here is mountainous, woody and untamed. For more than an hour, the only signs of life were tell-tale wisps of smoke from the occasional farmhouse; the only indication that we had crossed into Croatia, an abandoned Soviet-era border post.
Finally, we caught a glimpse of vine-covered slopes surrounding an ancient hilltop town. A tortuous climb to the castle ramparts was rewarded by fabulous views in every direction. Way down below we could see the Roxanich winery and its boutique hotel – our home for the night. In the opposite direction, back in the dense forests by the river lay buried treasure – the focus of the afternoon’s adventures.
Truffles
It was here, in 1999, that Giancarlo Zigante, with his dog Diana, found a 1310g white truffle – at the time, the largest unearthed truffle, earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. This legendary find put the unremarkable village of Livade on the map. Not a lot happens here, except for the annual truffle fair in October – but thankfully Giancarlo also has his very own restaurant dedicated to all things truffly – which isn’t a word but should be. More importantly, it meant lunch – a truffle odyssey, in which revered fungi took centre stage, but never dominated or became intrusive. A memorable procession of bon bouches were also conjured up by the engaging staff, among which the surprise star was a culinary sensation based on the humble turnip!
Roxanich
That evening we meet Mladen Rožanić, owner of Roxanich. He was hosting a lively table of friends in the hotel restaurant, spending as much time in the kitchen as he did pouring wine and holding court. Mladen is a force of nature – a personality as unique as the wines and contemporary hotel he has created. The rooms are each individually designed, sporting bold colours and an outlandish sense of fun. His wines, named after his six daughters, are similarly funky, and have made this place a mecca for fans of natural wine. There is a sense of the surreal here: a fusion of theatre, art and wine, all in a sublime setting.
Istrian wine
Next morning, we headed south through the mist for a rendezvous with Ivica Matošević (pronounced MA-tosh-o-vich), a city boy from Zagreb who has become a pacesetter for Istrian wine and one of the best winemakers in the region. Ivica planted his vineyard, Grimalda, from scratch and built his winery in the little village of Kruncici, in a manner reminiscent of any small Burgundian Domaine, with the house above the cellar. The tasting was held in the dining room, beside a huge open fire and then, once he had our measure, from a barrel in the “cave”. He specialises in native varietals – Malvasia (white) and Teran (red) – and they are beautifully polished.
- Malvasia is light and drinkable but has both depth and complexity. A slightly bitter finish makes it very versatile and food-friendly.
- Teran can be a bit of a wild beast to tame – it has intense colour, tricksy tannins and high acidity. At the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it was the dominant grape but today it accounts for only about 10% of wine production. However, its popularity is growing and Ivica’s Grimalda Teran is lush, with taut, fresh, red fruit and a cranberry-bitter finish that makes it dangerously drinkable.
We finished with some older bottles of Malvasia, well over ten years old – all in amazing condition.
Rovinj
That evening we lodged in Rovinj – a seaside town and coastal oasis which proved devilishly tricky to pronounce! Essentially it is RO – veen, but with the addition of a hushed je in the final syllable. So now you know. We may never have perfected the pronunciation, but – name struggles aside, this Adriatic resort is worth getting tongue-tied over.
Our final night was spent at the plush Lone hotel, situated along the coast a short walk from the centre of town. Here, the knowledgeable sommelier suggested we mark our farewell to Istria with a bottle from Tomaz, another winery based in Motovun. We had their excellent Malvasia Avangarde, but I noted the best Teran on their wine list was the Tomaz Barbarossa Superior – at 98 euros a bottle. A little pricey perhaps but a very good excuse to return to this delightful region for yet another wine-tasting!
If you want to join us for a Christmas Markets trip to Trieste – why not give us a call? Alternatively, we can propose a food and wines getaway specifically tailored for you and your party.