The Winery Clai of Istra

Winery Clai
The winery offers 16 different wines
4.2
Note - 1Note - 1Note - 1Note - 1Note - 0
Its wines get an average rating of 4.2.
It is ranked in the top 5 of the estates of Istra.
It is located in Istra

The Winery Clai is one of the largest wineries in the world. It offers 16 wines for sale in of Istra to come and discover on site or to buy online.

The Clai Estate, located in the heart of the stunning Istra isthmus in Croatia, is certainly one of the country's best-kept secrets. This reputed family vineyard is managed by the passionate winemaker, Giorgio Clai. Every stay at the Clai Estate begins with a stroll through carefully cultivated vine rows, providing a breathtaking view of the rolling hills dotted with picturesque villages and fertile agricultural land. The vines are planted in a soil that blends clay and limestone, which, coupled with a mild Mediterranean climate, creates ideal conditions for viticulture. Species of grapes grown at the Clai Estate include Malvazija Istarska, a native white variety, and Teran, a red variety. The winemaker uses biodynamic methods to produce wines that preserve the authenticity of the terroir and the richness of flavors. The winemaking process aims to produce wines that express the unique characteristics of the original fruit, with minimal intervention. During the tour of the estate, it is possible to attend a wine tasting in the specially adapted room for this purpose. The Malvazija, with its floral aromas and mineral finish, and the Teran, with notes of black fruit and spices, are two must-haves in the tasting. Clai wines are famous for their complexity and longevity, and are considered among the best in Croatia. The Clai vineyard is not just a simple wine producer, but rather a guardian of Istra's wine traditions. The estate also presents olive groves from which an excellent cold-pressed olive oil is produced.

Top Winery Clai wines

Looking for the best Winery Clai wines in Istra among all the wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent Winery Clai wines. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be suitable with the wines from this area. Learn more about the region and the Winery Clai wines with technical and enological descriptions.

The top white wines of Winery Clai

Food and wine pairings with a white wine of Winery Clai

How Winery Clai wines pair with each other generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, poultry or pasta such as recipes of shrimp, coconut and ginger soup, genuine chicken tagine olive and lemon confit tagine with argan oil or the real recipe for carbonara.

Organoleptic analysis of white wines of Winery Clai

On the nose the white wine of Winery Clai. often reveals types of flavors of oaky, citrus or apples and sometimes also flavors of peach, minerality or vanilla. In the mouth the white wine of Winery Clai. is a with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in the white wines of Winery Clai

  • 2016With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.27/5
  • 2017With an average score of 4.25/5
  • 2021With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2014With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.20/5

The grape varieties most used in the white wines of Winery Clai.

  • Malvasia
  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Gris
  • Sauvignon Blanc

Discovering the wine region of Istra

The wine region of Istra of Croatia. Wineries and vineyards like the Domaine Meneghetti or the Domaine Medea produce mainly wines white, red and sweet. The most planted grape varieties in the region of Istra are Terrano, Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon, they are then used in wines in blends or as a single variety. On the nose of Istra often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, quince or hay and sometimes also flavors of grass, honeysuckle or truffle.

We currently count 111 estates and châteaux in the of Istra, producing 627 different wines in conventional, organic and biodynamic agriculture. The wines of Istra go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork.

The top sparkling wines of Winery Clai

Food and wine pairings with a sparkling wine of Winery Clai

How Winery Clai wines pair with each other generally quite well with dishes such as recipes .

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wines of Winery Clai

On the nose the sparkling wine of Winery Clai. often reveals types of flavors of orange, citrus fruit.

The best vintages in the sparkling wines of Winery Clai

  • 2018With an average score of 4.20/5

Discover the grape variety: White muscat

White muscat is a white grape variety of Greek origin. Present in several Mediterranean vineyards, it has several synonyms such as muscat de Die, muscat blanc and frontignac. In France, it occupies a little less than 7,000 ha out of a total of 45,000 ha worldwide. Its young shoots are downy. Its youngest leaves are shiny, bronzed and scabrous. The berries and bunches of this variety are all medium-sized. The flesh of the berries is juicy, sweet and firm. Muscat à petits grains has a second ripening period and buds early in the year. It is moderately vigorous and must be pruned short. It likes poor, stony slopes. This variety is often exposed to spring frosts. It fears mildew, wasps, grape worms, court-noué, grey rot and powdery mildew. Muscat à petits grains is used to make rosé wines and dry white wines. Orange, brown sugar, barley sugar and raisins are the known aromas of these wines.

The top red wines of Winery Clai

Food and wine pairings with a red wine of Winery Clai

How Winery Clai wines pair with each other generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of millet with gruyere cheese, sauté of lamb with curry or baked leg of daguet or roe deer.

Organoleptic analysis of red wines of Winery Clai

On the nose the red wine of Winery Clai. often reveals types of flavors of cherry, oaky or earthy and sometimes also flavors of blackberry, blueberry or red fruit.

The best vintages in the red wines of Winery Clai

  • 2016With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 2015With an average score of 4.43/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.19/5
  • 2009With an average score of 4.15/5
  • 2013With an average score of 4.12/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.12/5

The grape varieties most used in the red wines of Winery Clai.

  • Refosco
  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon

The word of the wine: Slim

A thin wine, lacking flesh and body.

The top sweet wines of Winery Clai

Food and wine pairings with a sweet wine of Winery Clai

How Winery Clai wines pair with each other generally quite well with dishes of spicy food or sweet desserts such as recipes of shrimp in coconut milk curry or french toast.

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wines of Winery Clai

On the nose the sweet wine of Winery Clai. often reveals types of flavors of earth, tree fruit.

The best vintages in the sweet wines of Winery Clai

  • 2011With an average score of 4.70/5
  • 0With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.30/5

The grape varieties most used in the sweet wines of Winery Clai.

  • Muscat Blanc

Discover the grape variety: Merlot

Merlot noir is a grape variety that originated in France (Bordeaux). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small to medium sized bunches, and medium sized grapes. Merlot noir can be found in many vineyards: South West, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Loire Valley, Armagnac, Burgundy, Jura, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Beaujolais, Provence & Corsica, Savoie & Bugey.

Discover other wineries and winemakers neighboring the Winery Clai

Planning a wine route in the of Istra? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of wines similar to Winery Clai.

Discover the grape variety: Pinot gris

Pinot Gris is a grey grape variety mutated from Pinot Noir. It has its origins in Burgundy, where it is called pinot-beurot in reference to the colour of the grey robes worn by the monks of the region. Established in Alsace since the 17th century, pinot gris was called tokay until 2007. It is made up of bunches of small berries that vary in colour from pink to blue-grey. It is particularly well suited to the continental climate because it is resistant to the cold in winter and to spring frosts. This variety also likes dry limestone soils with plenty of sunshine in the summer. Pinot Gris is well suited to late harvesting or to the selection of noble grapes, depending on the year and the concentration of sugars in the berries. Pinot Gris wines are distinguished by their aromatic complexity of white fruits, mushrooms, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, etc., and their great finesse. In the Loire Valley, pinot gris is used in the Coteaux-d'Ancenis appellations. It gives dry or sweet wines with pear and peach aromas.