Believed to be a cross between Glera Tondo and Malvasia Bianca, Vitovska is the white grape of the Kras. Herbal, lightly aromatic, and often with a lemon honey quality typically takes well to skin contact. However, made as a Peneče (pétillant-naturel), it captures the fresh herbal tea and lemon bit without the more spiced honey flavors. Disgorged once, bottled under a crown cap, and always carries a few grams of RS to balance out the bubbles.
Wind, caverns and the Adriatic Sea define the Slovenian/Italian border region of the Kras. For over 200 years the the Štoka family has nurtured the native red Teran and white Vitovska in the iron rich “terra rossa” that the Kras is famous for. Their farm is located north-east of Trieste about 5 miles from the Adriatic in the village of Krajna Vas. The Kras, or “Carso” as it is called in nearby Italy, is Europe’s first recognized cross border wine region where only 600 hectares of vines are planted between the two countries. The tiny amount of fertile soil is the result of various human and natural events. Historically oak forests dominated the land until the Venetians deforested nearly everything to build ships and city of Venice. The resulting erosion and the famously strong winds called the “burja” caused huge amounts of topsoil to simply blow away. People learned how to build stonewalls called “griže” to protect against the wind and small manmade lakes to gather rain called “kali” to keep crops alive. Farmers, including the Štoka family, even learned to transport soil to naturally protected locations. Coupled with the regions already soluble Bedrock (mostly limestone and dolomite) and lack of surface water, the Kras is riddled with sinkholes, cenotes, and massive mostly unexplored underground caves. It is one of the most severe and unique terroirs in the world.
Considered one of the oldest and most revered local grapes. Harvesting is done by hand, destemmed, and macerated for 8 days before a long and slow native fermentation in large oak barrels. A small portion spends 10 months on the skins to serve as a blending agent. The wine is then racked to used barrels and moved into caves for aging. Full malolactic fermentation results in added texture and weight.
