I hope no one will ever force me to drink a single wine for the rest of my life, but were I to find myself in such a (mis)fortune, I am almost certain I would choose Poletti’s Rossella. This dry Muskat Ruza (Rose Muscat) pairs with a great many dishes: certain kinds of sushi, our raw seafood, pastas and risottos with choice ingredients, more delicate meat dishes and light fruit desserts. It suits intimate moments too, and stirs memories. It is not the finest wine I have ever drunk, but it is probably the most versatile.
Photograph: Igor Kontus
Rossella 2024 and a Malvazija Istarska (Istrian Malvasia) from last year’s vintage were the welcome wines of a lovely gathering on the rooftop terrace of Opatija’s Keight Hilton hotel, where Loredana, Piero and Mateo Poletti presented the new look of their wines.
Eight generations
Running up the bottle like a climbing vine, the label carries a timeline bearing the names of every family member across the eight generations devoted to wine since 1786. That was the year Marko Delebarna was born, the ancestor who bought the first plot of land. Four generations bearing the Bernobic surname followed, then three Polettis.
Photograph: vina-poletti.hr
Everything we have is the fruit of the family’s bloody toil, and none of it would exist without unity. Land was not bought to build a house but so that the children would not go hungry. The old folk kept the documents, so we know who bought what, and that no one ever sold so much as a scrap.
A vineyard instead of a nursery
When I taste a berry, I feel it. I was born under the vine. There was no nursery, so I played in the vineyard. This year marks the passing of the generations. My son Mateo has worked seriously for a long time and is slowly taking over the winery. The wines with the new label are his, Piero recounted with great emotion.
Photograph: Igor Kontus
Same family, same place, same passion is the winery’s new slogan. Some of that passion showed as they presented a vertical of Malvazija. They poured Mateo’s 2023 alongside Piero’s 2018, 2012, 2005 and 2001. It was fireworks.
An alto among sopranos
The Malvazija from the dry 2023 is in true form and proves that the variety, at least in this Markovac family’s cellar, is after all a two-year wine rather than a one-year one. Even the most mature bottle is a pleasure despite its 24 years. It carries a darker tone on the palate, an alto among sopranos, yet remains pleasantly drinkable.
Photograph: Igor Kontus
On the nose it offers quince, aromatic herbs and dried grasses, while its minerality keeps it young. It is worth noting that the chosen vintages were vinified in stainless steel as wines meant for sale, not for ageing, yet they are astonishingly alive and lively. There is a little of the 2018 Malvazija left.
A year for Malvazija and football
It went the natural way. It was a good vintage, even for the national football team, Piero joked. It offers a delicate nose of acacia blossom; the palate is gentle, full and long, threaded with fine minerality. The 2012 vintage was hard. From 25 May to 25 August not a drop of rain fell, yet the wine keeps its freshness. Only the nose betrays its years.
Photograph: Igor Kontus
The 2005 Malvazija is, of course, a seriously mature wine, and still in fine form. It carries an exceptionally long, soft finish. Were it red, one would call it velvety. Being white, it is like the finest woollen blanket caressing a naked woman’s body. There’s still some at home, thank God, says Piero. Both the 2015 and 2012 seem four or five years younger than they are.
A young wine from 2018
I am a collector. I gather old things, so I have wines even older than these, from Malvazija, Cabernet Sauvignon and Teran (a robust Istrian red), Piero Poletti concluded his tasting of the archive on that glorious Opatija afternoon.
The story closed with a very, very good Chardonnay 2024 and a very, very young Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 (!) only now reaching the market. Buy plenty, and taste it every now and then!
Cover photograph: vina-poletti.hr
01.05.2025.
