Teran

During the 19th century, Teran was the most widespread grape variety in Istria, occupying more than 80% of the vineyard area. This was largely due to the strong demand for red wines on the European market, as well as the variety’s excellent adaptation to the local growing conditions of Istria. Teran was often mistakenly identified as Refosco; however, it has now been proven that Teran and Refosco (It. Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso) are two distinct grape varieties.

The name Teran as a wine appears in written sources as early as 1294, while the first recorded mention of Teran as a grape variety dates back to 1641, in the work of the Novigrad bishop Giacomo Filippo Tommasini. Numerous historical documents testify to the long tradition of cultivating this indigenous Istrian variety. Among the most notable is the 1824 classification of grape varieties grown in the Barban area of Istria by canon Petar Stanković, who described four biotypes of Teran based on berry size.

Article by Carlo Hugues, titled Come si possa ingentilire il Terrano (“How Teran Can Be Softened”), published in the journal La Provincia dell’Istria, which discusses cultivation and winemaking approaches for improving the quality of Teran wines.

Today, Teran vineyards in Istria cover around 230 hectares and are mainly cultivated in central Istria, where the variety thrives on higher, well-ventilated vineyard sites with southern exposure.

Although the share of Teran in Istrian vineyards gradually declined during the 20th century due to changing market trends—when Malvasia Istriana became the dominant variety—in the past two decades Teran has once again received significant attention. Its ampelographic characteristics are being intensively studied, and specific vineyard and winemaking practices are being developed to achieve higher wine quality. At the same time, the vineyard area planted with Teran is gradually increasing. Today, after Malvasia Istriana, Teran is the second most important grape variety in Istria.

Thanks to these efforts, Teran wines have achieved remarkable success in recent years at both national and international wine competitions, further confirming their oenological and market value, as well as their strong historical identity. It is particularly encouraging that such outstanding results are being achieved with an indigenous Istrian variety with a rich viticultural tradition and history.