Vinistra once again boldly stepped outside the conventional boundaries and confirmed that wine is an integral part of culture. Wine-related topics sparked excellent discussions about the cultural identity of Istria.

The 29th Book Fair(y) in Istria, which concluded this week in Pula, once again demonstrated that wine is the best companion to a book. The program Histrokozmos, a so-called fair within the fair, was dedicated to wine and Istria. Discussions about the peculiar character of Istria as a kind of small continent in the vast world accompanied wine tastings by recognized Istrian winemakers in collaboration with the Croatian Sommelier Club.

Twenty-three members of the Vinistra association exhibited in the pop-up Vinistra Wine Shop. The program at the Book Fair included participation from well-known winemakers such as Klaudio Tomaz, Peter Poletti, Ivica Matošević, Gianfranco Kozlović, Milan Budinski, Josip Barišić from Agrolaguna, Klaudio Ipša, Nikola Benvenuti, Stiven Valenta, and Luka Rossi.

"Recently, we lost Franko Lukež, a bon vivant and a great connoisseur of Istrian wines and gastronomy. For the beginning of Histrokozmos, we chose Franko's microcosm related to wine. His deeply thoughtful, primal, authentic, and global story about wine and Istria is the starting point around which Histrokozmos creates a new saga – the Saga of Wine," said Magdalena Vodopija, the director of the Book Fair in Istria.

(Foto by Sa(n)jam knjige)

Mens Sana in Malvasia Istriana

A particularly interesting panel was Mens Sana in Malvasia Istriana, where writer and journalist Boris Dežulović and winemakers Ivica Matošević and Gianfranco Kozlović discussed whether good or bad wine is responsible for good literature, the differences between Dalmatians and Istrians in winemaking, the development of the Istrian wine scene, and how Malvasia Istriana became a global wine.

"Literature does not arise after a lunch of three courses and three hundred euros in a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, and three short expert sips of wine from an archival bottle worth three thousand euros: literature arises in its own time, in all stable places, and in all other ways: in short, anytime, anywhere, and anyhow," emphasized Dežulović.

(Foto by Sa(n)jam knjige)

Book and wine - a perfect pair

Winemaker Matošević emphasized that he has always believed in the success of Malvasia Istriana. "In University, we learned about the basic qualities of Croatian wines, which were related to Dalmatia and Slavonia. They taught us that you cannot make high-quality wine from Malvasia Istriana. There was always rivalry, but every territory can make an excellent product. In that sense, Istria has its Malvasia Istriana."

On the last day of the Book Fair, the president of Vinistra, Luka Rossi, stated that only through unity can high goals be achieved. He thanked all Istrian winemakers who participated in the 30-year construction of modern Istrian winemaking.

"Once again, it has been shown how important the connection between culture, art, tourism, and winemaking is, and Vinistra will certainly support such initiatives in the future," concluded Sanja Brnobić, the marketing manager of Vinistra. She announced the 30th Vinistra for next year, which will be held from May 10th to 12th in the Žatika hall in Poreč.

(Foto by Sa(n)jam knjige)