KMC23
New product
Kozlovic Malvazija, from the Istria region of Croatia, is a deliciously fresh white, with enough body to allow exciting food partnerships. It shows ripe citrus aromas mixed with dried grass and white pepper, combined with wonderfully intense flavours and a firm backbone of acidity.
The vineyard is located in Santa Lucia in Western Istria at altitudes of between 200 to 240 metres above sea level. The age of the vines varies from nine to 54 years, but all are planted with a south to south-westerly orientation to maximise their exposure to the sun. The soils are made up of flysch, limestone and clay. The grapes are manually harvested at optimum maturity.
The grapes were manually harvested and carefully selected by hand. The berries were then cold macerated for 12 to 24 hours in stainless steel, extracting the aromas and flavours from the Malvazija berries. The grapes were then pressed and the must was fermented in stainless steel, preserving the freshness and the integrity of the primary aromas, followed by maturation for a minimum of seven months in stainless steel prior to bottling.
David Williams, writing in The Observer, said
"Malvazija (or malvasia) from the Istrian peninsula is one of my top discoveries of the past couple of years. If you enjoy the richly aromatic whites of Friuli in northeast Italy, you'll love this mix of herbs, minerals, apricots and almond from the impressive Kozlovic."
RRP | £17.95 |
Vintage | 2023 |
Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
Serve with | A range of foods; from fish to poultry, to spicy Asian dishes |
Grapes | Malvazija Istriana 100% |
Dry/Sweet value | 2 |
Vegetarian | Yes |
Vegan | Yes |
Milk | No |
Eggs | No |
Organic | No |
Biodynamic | No |
The Kozlović family have been making wine in the Istrian region of Croatia since 1904. The region borders Friuli and the wines, food and people have a real connection with their Italian neighbours. The winery is run by Gianfranco and Antonella Kozlović and they currently cultivate 25 hectares of vineyard. Gianfranco is a perfectionist and he is constantly striving to improve his wine; he takes a modern approach to winemaking and produces seriously good wines.
Should you be visiting Istria it's well worth visiting the Kozlovic winery, where you will be assured of a warm welcome in the architecturally innovative winery overlooking the rolling vineyards.