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Clai Wines, Baracija Malvazija, 2023

Orange Wine from Croatia, Croatia
by Clai Wines
$35.99
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Clai is a family winery in Istria, Croatia, encompassing ten hectares of vineyards and five hectares of olive trees. This Baracija Malvazija is made from 100 percent Istrian Malvazija grapes from young vines in the vineyard called Stancija Baracija, located directly in front of the winery. The wine is produced organically with biodynamic principles: grapes are macerated in large wooden barrels for 7–20 days and fermented naturally on wild yeast. Pigeage occurs at least three times daily during malolactic fermentation. After two years in large wooden barrels (1,000 to 2,500 liters), the result is a fresh, fruity wine with nutty, complex aromas and a clear, light golden color. Organic and vegan.

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More about Clai Wines

Giorgio Clai is the maverick who helped bring skin-contact white wine to Istria. Inspired by Joško Gravner, just across the border in Collio, he made orange Malvazija a calling card for this green, hilly corner of Croatia long before the style was fashionable.

Clai's family left Istria for Trieste in 1963, when he was a child, and he spent more than twenty years there as a restaurateur, making wine as a hobby on the side. After inheriting family vines and restoring his mother's birthplace in the hamlet of Krasica, near the hilltop town of Grožnjan, he moved back for good around 2000 and released his first professionally bottled wines in 2002. He runs the estate, Clai Bijele Zemlje ("white earth," after its pale soils), with his wife, Vesna; in 2018 new plantings and partnerships brought the Baracija wines into the range.

The vines, on the region's white clay hillsides, are farmed without chemicals and with biodynamic preparations. Fermentations are spontaneous, whites spend long periods on their skins, the wines are raised in wooden barrels, and only a little sulfur is added before bottling. Malvazija and Refošk are the backbone, alongside the Ottocento blends.

The wines are textured, amber-tinged and savory, and they taste unmistakably of the place.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Malvasia

  • Vintage

    2023

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Organic

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Medium Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Grilled white fish, seared scallops, roasted chicken, fresh vegetables, riper cheeses, vegetarian preparations

Tasting Profile

Light golden color. Aromas of white fruit, hazelnut, citrus. Medium body, crisp acidity, clean finish.

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