Zaro, Black Lamb Eazy Refosk 2020

100% Refosk

Izola, Slovenia

Mid September harvest. Destemmed fruit, maceration of 7 - 10 days. Fermentation and aging in stainless steel for 2 years. 10,000 bottles produced. VEGAN.

Zaro Refošk smells of fresh mountain berries, camphor, pepper, violets, charcuterie and pulverized rocks. It is simultaneously structured and refreshing. Eazy comes from the ZARO family cellars in Izola. It is a wine that is mainly sold through their wine bar MANZIOLI. All of the fruit comes from their organically cultivated vineyards. The Eazy vineyard is a literal stone’s throw from the sea. 

Slovenia’s idyllic slice of the Adriatic, dotted with seaside villages and vineyards, is the intercies between the ancient Refošk grape variety and coastal Adriatic cuisine. This combination has resulted in a wine unique to the region and very useful to have on hand when it comes to seafood. Tourists drink oceans of Istrian Malvazija, but the locals will often opt for red Refosk depending on the dish. Especially if the restaurant has a good “open” Refosk. This is a reference to a wine that does not make it to bottle but instead is sold locally on draft. While ubiquitous to the region, a red wine of this style and function is a rarity here in the US. What other red wines are drinkable, let alone enhance strong seafood like tinned fish, mussels, mackerel, squid ink risotto, raw tuna, cured anchovies? This is not to say it is for seafood alone. It is often the accompaniment of choice with local salt cured ham Pršut.