The project "4 soils", developed by Brtonigla Municipality and
its tourist and development agencies was presented at the 24th
Vegeta Croatia Open in Umag. The aim of the project is to evaluate
specificity and diversity of vines that grow in Brtonigla, a little
town of wine. Started two years ago, the project was developed in
collaboration with scientific institutions, making the basis for
increasing the quality and recognition of Brtonigla's wine and
winemakers, based on research and education of young winemakers.
Today, it brings concrete results and encourages the development of
young winemakers which are now expected to make great wines.
At a special dinner organized in Istria Gourmet Restaurant by San
Rocco, the vine growers of Brtonigla - Veralda, Ravalico, Cattunar,
Capo and Novacco - presented their products alongside the most
prestigious restaurant of Brtonigla, San Rocco. Chef Zoran Čobanov
prepared dishes that presented a wealth of gastronomic delights of
this small municipality, from continental delicacies such as
truffles to seafood specialties made from the best fish and other
riches of NW Istria seawaters.
Municipality of Brtonigla is characteristic for its "four soils",
beacuse it includes all types of soil known in Istria: black, red,
white and gray, concentrated in one of the smallest of Istrian
municipalities. This is a unique case in Istria and probably in the
wider area. According to the census of 2011, Brtonigla has 1,684
inhabitants. Most of the inhabitants are in the business of
agriculture, particularly viticulture, so that more than 85 percent
of income comes from agriculture and about 97 percent of land is
arable.
"The project is very significant for the overall development
of Brtonigla Municipality, and for the contribution that will bring
to the development of rural tourism and to giving our local
products greater visibility, not only in nearby areas, but also
internationally. We expected that this project will significantly
increase the recognition of Brtonigla and wines from this
region", said Dorian Labinjan, Mayor of Brtonigla.
Presentation of the project was attended by Istria county
prefect Valter Flego, who used the logo of the project "4 soils" as
an example of how Brtonigla Municipality is collecting experiences
from tradition and translates them into modern content, giving
Istria more added value.
"We expect that the development of this project, which is
investing in the education of young winemakers, analysis and
research on the impact of soil on indigenous varieties, will
significantly increase the quality of wines from Brtonigla area.
Since Croatia became a full member of EU, local winemakers have the
opportunity to compete in quality and promote local indigenous
varieties throughout the European market. The idea is that the
project will give our winemakers more recognizable special label
and a logo that would guarantee the quality of the product, which
would further promote Brtonigla as a wine region", concluded
Ingrid Palman, Director of Brtonigla's Development Agency.