Santa Elisabetta

a new dimension of teran

Teran is our eternal inspiration. This grape variety is hard-wired in our genetic code. It has been part of our heritage from times beyond our memory, and we know that in the area where we were born it is capable of giving something extraordinary. The fruitful, resistant and almost untamable nature of Teran is such for a reason, because it was born here, in the heart of Istria, on the hillsides surrounded with forests and nature, birds and big game. It is a late variety, one which always remains last in the vineyard, long after the others are harvested. In that period it is the source of food and energy to all creatures, from insects preparing for hibernation, to deer and wild boars which can’t resist its sweet nectar at dewy sunrise. Finally, already in autumn, just before it overripens, it still saves enough yield for people to turn it into fine wine.

Today, when Teran can fulfill its yield potential to the maximum in controlled conditions of the modern age, when it is no longer available to hungry animal mouths, when there’s nobody to pick the natural „surplus”, it needs to be tamed differently. In order to cultivate it, one needs to grow it on poorer soil, exposed to sun and drained, reduce the yield by pruning and green harvesting, and eventually wait patiently for the grapes to ripen fully regardless of the risks brought by autumn rains. Only then can it present its true beauty in full.

Santa Elisabetta position provides all these features naturally. Situated in the heart of Teran’s homeland, on the altitude of 330 metres, surrounded with forests and hills, on a terraced slope, exposed to sunlight all day long, on the so-called white soil, with low fertility and good drainage, with plenty of calcium carbonate and very little humus, high above early morning fogs and low clouds, with cold nights and hot summer days. This position ensures the maximum distribution of sunlight, natural control of yield and perfect health until the latest harvesting dates. Moreover, rigorous green harvesting means even ripening and high concentration. With grapes from such a vineyard, the work in the cellar is quite easy. After classic fermentation, the wine is stored in wooden barrels to age without any significant aromatic impact. It needs a few years of patient waiting to develop and become balanced. The final result is the true essence of Teran and the Santa Elisabetta terroir, faithfully interpreted and preserved in a bottle for a long time to come. We feel this wine is our legacy.