Matošević Wines of Istria

Doctor from Grimalda

Unlike most Istrian winemakers who grew up in rural areas, Ivica Matošević is a city child, although he often spent time with his grandmother in Krunčići near Sveti Lovreč during his childhood. He fell in love with wine during his studies in Udine, which prompted the enterprising Ivica to consider making his own wine, if only for a trial. The rest is history, and a very successful one at that. 

Ivica did not have his own vineyards, but he had a strong will, desire, and an idea of what he wanted, so he opened a wine cellar in Krunčići. It all started with the 1998 harvest when he made the legendary wine "Anima barrique Chardonnay" from grapes purchased from excellent locations, which became the best white wine in Croatia, winning the prestigious "Studec" award at the time. Because he did not have his own vineyards, he had to put fantasy names on the labels that remain to this day: Alba, Anima, Aura, Mora, and Mladuh. 

In 2003, Ivica took a huge step forward and planted his own vineyard in the Grimalda position in central Istria. This microlocation soon became one of the most significant Istrian wine positions in recent history, producing grapes for the excellent wines Grimalda bijela (white) and Grimalda crna (black).