Marko Fon
If you slip over the Italian border heading east through Friuli to Slovenia, and hug the Mediterranean, you end up in the region known locally as Kras. The region straddles northeastern Italy and southwestern Slovenia and is one of the world’s few wine regions to share countries.
The region is renowned for its rocky limestone, known locally as kras (Slovenian) or karst (Italian). The word karst is used the world over to describe landscapes where the rock (usually limestone) is being slowly dissolved by water, giving rise to a range of interesting features above ground (such as sinkholes) and below (caves).
This tough land is predominantly toiled by farmers growing what produce they need, and a few brave winemakers. The three local grapes are Malvazija (Malvasia Istriana), Vitovska (a cross between Malvasia and Prosecco) and Terran (Refosco). Marko works his vineyards, one of which is over one hundred years old (interestingly, called Quattro Stati, as it has been in four different countries, as borders have moved over the last 100 years), entirely by hand without use of herbicides, fertilizers and systemic treatments. TREMBATH & TAYLOR
The region is renowned for its rocky limestone, known locally as kras (Slovenian) or karst (Italian). The word karst is used the world over to describe landscapes where the rock (usually limestone) is being slowly dissolved by water, giving rise to a range of interesting features above ground (such as sinkholes) and below (caves).
This tough land is predominantly toiled by farmers growing what produce they need, and a few brave winemakers. The three local grapes are Malvazija (Malvasia Istriana), Vitovska (a cross between Malvasia and Prosecco) and Terran (Refosco). Marko works his vineyards, one of which is over one hundred years old (interestingly, called Quattro Stati, as it has been in four different countries, as borders have moved over the last 100 years), entirely by hand without use of herbicides, fertilizers and systemic treatments. TREMBATH & TAYLOR
