The history of wine in Slovenian Istria probably begins as early as the Roman times. Pliny reports that Empress Livia's long life was attributed to frequent intake of wine called "Pucinum". Some believe it was a mild, gently sparkling prosecco, but the majority of Italian researchers seem to agree it was more probably an ancestor of today's Refosco. There is a description in Pliny that "Pucinum" was made of grape variety called "omnium nigerria", "the blackest of all". What else could it be in these region but Refosco? Later on there are many mentions of "Teran" (nowadays in Slovenia limited to the Karst, in Croatia still used in Istria; in both cases it is 100% Refosco), and between 13th and 15th Centuries "Rebula", that was supposedly treasured for its pleasant sweet taste (today it is almost non existent in Istria). And in the 17th Century the Novigrad bishop Tommasini apart from "Rebula" praises Muscat from Koper. He wrote that "in Koper they make good and very cherished Muscats which they've exported, and they were of as mild taste as Cretan ones." The 18th Century was marked by enlightned industrialist Gian Rinaldo Carli, who apart from textile manufacturing also introduced modern winemaking to Istria. In an even today modern way he experimented with many grape varieties (in particular Trebbiano, Sangiovese and Carmignano of Tuscany fame), and it seems possible he was the first to realize the (often neglected) potential of Malvasia. In the latter half of the 19th Century the French company J. Champion & Cie. Vins de Champagne from Reims produced sparkling wine. It is possible that because of less rigid legislature the company made in Istria their wine that was marketed as genuine Champagne? Later the offices of this company were to become the first headquarters of what is today Vinakoper. Vinakoper was first called Vino Koper, and like many other co-ops dealt in many other areas apart from wine. For a time it bottled Excorrado Tonic Water. Unfortunately this may have added to the fact that Vinakoper does not have a reserve of its older vintages, as top quality wine has become a priority only some 2 decades ago. Slovenian independance and economic reforms were a big challenge for Vinakoper. Today we can safely say that the employees rose up to it, and that the owners had the patience with top experts who had a vision to become leader in the Slovenian wine industry. Today we can proudly say we've succeded: Vinakoper is the only wine company in Slovenia to stand up to foreign challengers both in terms of quantity and quality, and constant innovation in the vineyard, in the cellar and in marketing make sure it stays that way for a long time to come. This web site is part of our efforts, too - we'll be happy, if you visit often and find this all out on your own!