Wines with soul? What is it? How can they exist and where? If You are dwelling on that sort of question, there is a good chance You are swirling a Roxanich wine in your glass.
If You think Roxanich is a complicated name, try with – Rožanić. It is the last name of the winery owner, Mladen Rožanić. Except it is not „only a winery”, it is also a wine & heritage hotel Roxanich. The hotel is actually brand new, but built with such taste and most importantly, a heritage cuisine restaurant.
Photo Credit: www.roxanich.hr
Wines are anything but „brand new“since some leave the cellar 10 years after harvest 🙂
Roxanich also had notable market entry more than a decade ago, as awarded Istrian winery and was controversial from the beginning.
And the beginning lies in a Roxanich wine philosophy. In Roxanich winery a holistic approach is honored, with the balance in life that translates into every aspect of one’s work, especially the creation of wine. Therefore, there is only one way to make a truly natural and honest wine.
Roxanich wine philosophy doesn’t strive to merely satisfy the norm and is not interested in certificates and adhering to just the formal rules of the game.It would be a mistake to label Roxanich wines with any recognizable word describing naturalness.
Organic or biodynamic, minimal or non-interventionist… Roxanich uses all it takes to achieve wines of terroir. Wines fermented with indigenous yeast and mature with their own, condensed tannins, coming exclusively from the pits and skins of the grape in order to develop original, natural body and aromas.
Although significantly more expensive, wines are aged in large wooden vats and barrels in order to minimize the area of contact between wood and grape.
Infusions of wood tannins into the wine are greatly reduced and used (but healthy) wood then becomes a micro-oxygenation membrane, a delicate vessel for schooling wine.
We are guessing that apart from passion and dedication, a lot of patience is required to elevate the wine in the cellar for years. For some wines, this means 7 (seven) years of aging, as biodynamics philosophy and teachings of Rudolf Steiner suggests.
Of course, Roxanich also makes wines approachable in their youth. First Roses are introductory wines vinified in neutral tanks – whites, reds, and rose. More fresh in style, but even First Roses Whites and rose are macerated from few hours to few days, while reds are lighter-bodied and elegant. White rose and red First Roses wines age gracefully and usually achieve additional balance and depth with time.
Meditative, energizing, and raw, Orange selection is a Roxanich passion. Initial grape fruitiness is enriched with the hearty richness of secondary aromas as a result of long contact with original tannins hidden in the skin and pits of the grape.
Regardless of being made out of local varieties or international ones, Roxanich red wines are rich and bold, but never heavy. Meant for some serious bottle aging, but can be open and poured immediately. As they are opening up in a glass, true complexity becomes a distinguishing feature.
The most recent “project” involves blending the two separate Worlds together. DITE is a combination of words “Dingač” and “Teran”.
Plavac mali grapes from the location of Dingač are blended with an ancient Istrian grape – Teran. For the first time in history, two obstinate varieties with opposite characteristics are combined.
Dite embodies the tannic structure of Plavac from Dingač with the refreshing backbone of Istrian Teran. What happens with aromatics is hard to describe when ripe fruits of figs and carobs meet with forest berries, all in characteristic Roxanich fruit&dirt frame. Impossible and beautiful at the same time, as a child can be. Dite means “a child” in the Dalmatian dialect.
Full of meaning and reason, every Roxanich bottle is a unique experience.
“Our wine is for a discerning person. An inquisitive soul. Someone who needs to know what they are drinking, how it was made, and how its creation affected the planet.”
