Have you ever heard of the Teran grape? This Croatian grape and varietal was new to me. I stopped off at Vino Carta to taste some wine and buy something interesting. Vino Carta is known for it’s natural wine and small producer wine selection.
Teran grows in Istria, Croatia which is located on the northern edge of the Mediterranean. The winters are cold with strong winds, and in September the chilly nights help keep the acidity in the grapes. Teran is known for being a light bodied muscular red wine with high tannins. This varietal is called Terrano in Italy.
It was recommended that I try the 2019 Piquentum. Dimitri Brečević, the owner and winemaker was born in France to a French mother and Croatian father. He studied enology in France, and returned to his fathers roots in Buzet, Croatia to establish the winery. The name “Piquentum” means the hilltop town of Buzet in ancient Roman.
You’ll notice the dots on the bottle right away so I was curious to find out what they mean. The dots represent the amount of precipitation in litres per month the year of wine production. It begins with October of the previous year, and ends with September (harvest time) of the current year, reading left to right.
I
n the glass, this wine looks ruby red, almost purple in colour. On the nose, there a black plum, peppery aroma. On the palate, there is bright bing cherry and black plum with lively acidity and high tannins. Did you know that this wine was given to women after childbirth to combat anemia due to the rich iron content? This low alcohol wine (12% ABV), is often paired with Istrian Prosciuitto that hangs from the winery. This wine would pair well with charcuterie, fish and other cured meats.
This wine is created by the grapes being hand picked and pressed into a non-temperature controlled tank. All of Dimitri’s wines use wild fermentation, no added yeast, bacteria, enzymes or additives. Wines are bottled unfiltered with just enough sulfur for safe transport.
Let me know what you think if you get a taste of Teran. Cheers!
