OPG Šuran Petar Rino - Rovinjska vina — Attraction in Grad Rovinj

I know Mr. Petar Šuran for a long time. He is one of the pioneers of (modern) olive oil making in Istria and Croatia and much of the knowledge about olive oil I own to him since he was holding public lessons about olive oil tasting and reviewing. His olive oils are fantastic, a logical outcome from an approach that takes care about all the details and phases in the complex process of olive oil making. Olive tree grows, fertilization and protection, time and manner of harvesting and processing of olives, are all elements that finally result in extra fine virgin olive oil that (re)sets quality standards.
I emphasize this because I claim that the vast majority of people have never tried real olive oil, because their only experience is based on what they can buy in supermarkets, and that often are not even olive oils (although it's written Extra Virgin Olive oil on the label). This is a short introduction to Mr. Šuran wine making who, throughout all this years I am following him, is moving towards genuine and natural wines with no additives at all! Such an approach requires very rigorous work in the wineyard that needs special attention and care. He is introducing domestic animals into the wineyard in order to graze grass and fertilize the ground. The wineyard requires big attention and care in the grapes protection, and finally the right decisions and care of the wine in the cellar. His approach is on the way to get a biodynamic label. Mr. Šuran, as an esthete, has built a very interesting wine cellar under the ground level, leaving walls open, so you can see natural stone layers under the earth. Such 'humid' environment is favorable for oak barrels present in the cellar. The quality of Mr. Šuran wines is a story in itself, the wines are always a surprise because they depend on the year when they were created and the process undergone. Macerations are mostly long, resulting in very complex, specific, unusual and fine wines. I heartily recommend to visit the Mr. Šuran's farm because I am sure you can taste special wines and learn a lot about olive oil...

What an incredible experience! My boyfriend and I went to see Rino’s vineyard and I can’t begin to explain what a beautiful time we had. Rino’s passion for natural wines and biodynamic methods are contagious – he took us through his land and explained all sorts of things that he does to make sure the soil and the vines have the best chance to succeed – all with natural methods, from spraying the plants, to caring for nutrition in the soil, getting rid of weeds, to actually making the wine. His love for what he does is what makes it so special. His wines are some of the smoothest and most balanced natural wines I have ever tried. We were so lucky that in the night of our visit, Rino had organised a night of violin, food and wine with a bunch of artists and musicians from different parts of the world. Apparently this is something he does often! We spent the night singing, eating, drinking AMAZING wine, and could not believe how lucky we were to have an unexpected night like this in Rovinj. The vineyard is about 15 minutes from town, we thought about cycling but ended up getting a lift from an opera singer (!) from the group.

Rino, grazie mile per la ospitalità!...

After Rino had shown us the farm/vineyard, and introduces us to his wonderful animals, we spent an evening chatting with him and his wife whilst eating delicious food (the figs and tomatoes in particular!), and drinking incredible wine and olive oil. It was definitely the best produce we had ever had. It was an extremely relaxing experience and time seemed to almost stand still. I know other reviews have talked about how it was a life changing experience - this is not an overexaggeration. It was eye-opening to get to know a bit about Rino's approach to wine, food and life, which we are now trying to implement into our own lives back in the UK.

If you are debating whether or not his vineyard is worth a visit - trust me there is no debate. When we are next in Istria we will definitely be...