From the island of Krk in Croatia, a surprisingly large amount of wine is produced. Although mainly whites; and mainly of the malvasia or moscato varietal, there are a few easy drinking reds like this Sansigot, by Ivan Katunar. The Katunar family has been making both wine and brandy for years just outside the historical seaport of Vrbnik on the eastern coast of the island. The sansigot grape, which is indigenous to the area, was produced from vines that are over 70 years old. Still young, a 2009, the red and purple reflections bounced off the crystal of the glass. An intense metallic smell is the first thing we noticed, followed by red fruits, rose and violet flowers and wood. With a few random bubbles and a yeasty taste, it also seemed like it was still fermenting a bit in the bottle, which can happen sometimes with young wines and the change of the season. It was both hard and heavy in the back of the mouth in the beginning, but slowly opened nicely and became easier to drink. For sure it is better when paired with food and in some way reminded me of the Friulan refosco. At some point in time, some great ship sailed the mediterranean bringing grapes and wine back and forth from Italy and Croatia, so I wouldn’t doubt it if these two wines have more in common than we know. However, it was interesting to try this wine and personally I think if it were aged for a few years in wood, it would have been even better.
