Carso DOC | The first transnational DOC, located on the Adriatic coast across the borders between Italy and Slovenia (where Carso become Kras or Kast. Doug Wregg of Les Caves de pyrene describes Carso as ‘the thin slice of land connecting Trieste to the main mass of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Officially speaking, this is Italy, but, as is the case all along Italy’s border with Slovenia, the wine culture transcends national boundaries. Winegrowing Carso extends well beyond the border into Slovenia (as does winegrowing Collio further north).’

Terroir: ‘Carso is a limestone-rich plateau that extends out from the city of Trieste and reaches toward the Julian Alps to the north. The soils in the Kras/Carso area are unique: a very thin layer of topsoil of “Red Earth”, a derivative of limestone with a lot of iron, covers deep solid limestone formations derived from fossilized sea life. The heavy limestone content of the soils likely gave the zone its name (Carso is thought to be derived from a Celtic word meaning ‘land of rock’) and it lends the wines, both white and red, a firm acidic backbone and mouth-watering minerality,’ (Doug Wregg July 2011 & May 2017). 

Wineries

Certified organic | Cotar.

Bibliography

Doug Wregg, Caves de Pyrene list, July 2011.

Doug Wregg, Catalogue to the Real Wine Fair, Tobacco Dock London 7-8th May 2017.