When you arrive in front of Bruno Trapan’s winery and tasting room in Šišan (shee-shan) you will ask the question we posed in the title. Where the hell has the rustic style so beloved among Istrian winemakers gone? Postmodern architecture, concrete walls, funky billboards and photos on the walls, furniture in Scandinavian minimalist style, all this modern stuff is cleverly put together to create a nostalgic feeling of traveling that only a train station can create. Only here the wine takes the role of a steam locomotive.

Start your trip with Ruby rose, a blend of syrah, merlot, teran and cabernet, beautiful in its simplicity, dry but fruity, icy crisp and mineral as every good summer rose should be. Then pass on to his workhorse, Malvasia Ponente, which will seduce you with its mouthwatering minerals and a relative absence of bitterness so common in Istrian Malvasia. Continue with Uroboros, surely Bruno’s best wine, a blend of Malvasia and Chardonnay, a very complex and captivating wine. Finish with his reds – Cabernet Sauvignon and Shuluq. The last one is a 100% Syrah, with a warm south Istrian soul, plenty of fresh red fruits, a hint of pepper and smoke. In a nutshell, a wine that every red enthusiast will adore.