Dejan, the fourth generation of winemaking in the Radoš family in Tadini near Kaštelir, creates interesting oenological successes under the watchful eye of his parents. Although Dejan Radoš is today a recognized and professional oenologist, he still inherits the wine heritage from his mother Nadija, which is not so common in Istrian winemaking. And father Silvano carefully monitors all the flavours and aromas from the wine cellar. It all takes place in the beautiful landscape, with an old bread oven that has become so popular with family that they have put it on their wine labels! The bread oven is located at the very entrance to the family farm, and the label shows a fifty-year-old drawing of the same oven. The author is the travel writer Matija Pokrivka, who was delighted with this remnant of rural Istria. Twelve loaves of bread were baked in it for the whole village and the Radoš family proudly holds this memorial of the Istrian village.
Radoš family grows Istrian Malvasia, Chardonnay and Muscat yellow from white wines on a total of five hectares of vineyards, as well as Merlot, Teran and Borgonja, which is used to make a rose wine. Malvasia, Muscat, Teran and Rose are bottled and they produce a total of between 30,000 and 40,000 litres of wine. They regularly appear at wine fairs such as Vinistra and the Wine Festival in Gračišće, where they also received numerous medals with their wines. The vine is grown in about ten positions, but all in the vicinity of Tadini, at a maximum distance of one and a half kilometres. Each position has its own microclimate, but it is especially good for growers that wind constantly blows in this area.
Malvasia makes up the largest part of Radoš's offer, and in the summer it is best to drink exactly what they are known for - fresh Malvasia. Straw-yellow in colour, this Malvasia has pronounced floral aromas reminiscent of an acacia flower. Such Malvasia can be tasted less and less because this typical Istrian wine has started to get significantly more fruit aromas in many winemakers. Radoš Family is one of the few Istrian winemakers who make rose from Borgonja, not from Teran. Rose is not macerated and has a mild colour and velvety taste with a long duration. We also tried Teran, which delights with its lightness, something that older generations of Istrians might not accept at all.
"It was a little difficult to accept a woman as a winemaker, but I didn't want to leave the family tradition," says Nadija Radoš about her position as a winemaker at a time when few Istrian families put all the wine glory on a woman. She took special care of viticulture and winemaking while Dejan was studying agronomy. Technology has also changed in her time. From the methods adopted from fathers and grandfathers, Radoš suddenly had to face more modern technology to meet the demands of the market looking for lighter and more aromatic wines. The family followed the advice of the profession, but with a difficult acceptance of new methods among the older generations. Today, a return to the old is almost unthinkable.
As we talk, Radoši is proud to show us a diploma from the Pazin event Century of Wine. Namely, back in 1901, the "First Istrian Public Wine Tasting" was held in Pazin, so Radoši came back in 2001 with their wines. The whole of the Istrian wine offer is a certain classic in the vineyards of the largest Croatian peninsula: Malvasia, Borgonja and Teran. Radoš family is rightly proud to have maintained all these varieties, and their offer will certainly be noticed by the special features with which they can successfully present themselves to the increasingly demanding market.
Wines Radoš
Tadini 6, 52464 Kaštelir
tel: 052/455 246 | gsm: 098 190 16 56