Croatian winery Clai Wines has a special connection with South Africa.
Winemaker Tim Whitfield has always been intrigued by natural wine, and its associated philosophy and way of life. “Wine is the only agricultural product where you get to work with soil all the way to people’s smiles,” he says. “Wine is also the only alcoholic beverage that you feel compelled to share. It brings people together and doesn’t discriminate.”
He grew up in the Kruger National Park, where his dad was a game ranger and his mom worked in hospitality. “My understanding of wine was that white wine was good for game drives and red was for campfires,” he says. He had his first glass of wine – a Beyerskloof Pinotage – around a campfire. For him, the experience cemented the association wine has with nature and people. He went on to study winemaking at Elsenberg and worked at Cederberg Wines, Spier, Tokara and Plaisir before moving to Croatia in 2023 to join Clai Wines.
Thinking outside the box
It was his quest to find people who shared his thinking about natural winemaking that led him to the wineries of Slovenia, Alsace in France, Georgia and Croatia. “When I saw Clai Wines was looking for a head winemaker, I threw my name in the hat,” he says. “After a flight, tasting the wine and sharing a beer, we decided it was a good fit.”
Tim is the first South African winemaker to work in Croatia and there was a lot to get used to. Croatians are fiercely patriotic and being an outsider, the community was sceptical about his abilities. “Clai has an emotional attachment to Croatians that I have never seen in South Africa,” Tim says. “Holding on to the belief that I can succeed was the most challenging aspect of moving here.” He also missed his own community and support network. “In South Africa, if you’re in a jam, you phone your neighbour and they’ll help you without question.”
Adjusting to exclusively organic and biodynamic practices was another challenge, especially having to make do without the world-class resources for which South Africa is renowned.
Welcome to Clai Wines
Located near the town of Krasica, in the region of Istria, Clai Wines was established in 1994 at the tail-end of the Croatian War of Independence. At a time when everyone was making fresh and fast wine, Clai Wines founder Giorgio Clai bucked the trend. With a little help from neighbours in Slovenia and Italy, such as Joško Gravner, the father of orange winemaking, he pursued his dream of producing wines that reflect the 3 000-year evolution of the region’s local grapes and terroir. “Essentially, we make only skin-macerated wines, with minimal interference,” Giorgio says. “If it’s white, red or pink, it’s fermented on the skins.”
“Clai Wines is all about Istria,” he says. “We want to make distinctive, one-of-a-kind wines, so that when you take a sip of our wine, you can feel Istria. If you’ve visited us before, we want to awaken the memory of enjoying wine on our terrace while enjoying the breathtaking view of our vineyards. If you’ve never been here, we want to awaken in you the emotion and excitement that says, ‘This is very interesting. I’ve never tasted wine like this before. Where’s it from?’
“We didn’t choose natural winemaking and viticulture to be fashionable or follow trends, but out of the conviction that it’s the right thing to do. There are a million wine labels worldwide, most of which are good or very good, but we want to make memorable wines.”
Viticulture
Situated 300 m above sea level and about 10 km from the Adriatic coast, Clai Wines is surrounded by the Slovenian and Italian Alps, resulting in a Mediterranean climate. They produce wine from Malvazija (white), Chardonnay (sparkling), Surina (sparkling pink), Muscat Blanc (sweet), Pinot Grigio (white and red), Refošk (red), Teran (red) and Merlot (red).
The two indigenous varieties, Malvazija and Refošk (pronounced “refoshk”), are well adapted to dry conditions and might grow in South Africa. “Refošk in particular is a variety that would do incredibly well in South Africa,” Tim says. “The variety has the perfume of Cabernet Franc with a spice of a Syrah.”
The Pinot Grigio is also a specialty. “The Pinot Grigio we have here in Istria is more pink than white. The wine takes on an orange colour over the ageing process. We produce a straight variety – Ottocento Pinot Sivi – where we ferment on the skins for 10 days and then age in barrels for two years. Then we produce a blend of Malvazija and Pinot Grigio – Ottocento Bijeli – which is also aged for two years.”
Despite an emphasis on skin maceration and low sulphurs, oxygen is unwelcome everywhere else. “We always move wine under CO2 and nitrogen, and bottle as reductively as possible. We also rack incredibly clean and do minimal, if any, filtration. If we filter, it’s a very course one.”
The future
Tim is concerned about the number of vines being pulled out and not replaced. “We need to make farming financially appealing again for the younger generation,” he says. “We want to support our neighbours and community by buying their grapes at attractive prices. This will encourage the locals to look after the vines and plant more, while promoting the whole region and not just the winery.”
Clai’s wines are unavailable in South Africa, but Tim is looking for a local distributor. “It’s time we make skin-macerated and fermented wines fun in South Africa,” he says.
Wine is the only agricultural product where you get to work with soil all the way to people’s smiles.
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