The Malvazija vineyard is located in Manžan, which lies 90 m a.s.l. with a view over the gulf of Koper (Adriatic Sea) and the Julian Alps. Cluster weight per vine does not exceed 1,5 kg. The grapes have been hand harvested between 9. – 12. September, when they were completely ripe. The wine has been produced according to the traditional method. After destemming the grape juice has been in contact with the skin for four days (maceration). In an ope vessel spontaneous fermentation is triggered, meaning that at the beginning of the fermentation process it is necessary to punch down the cap every three hours to prevent oxidation. After pressing the wine matures for another 8 months on fine lees. Koza Nostra 2018 has been maturing in inox (stainless steel) tanks. We allowed a thin cap or 'yeast film' to form. Flor yeast is typically important in the manufacture of some types of sherry in Spain and vin jaune in Jura. This fine oxidation can be slightly detected in this wine, which gives it its distinctive taste. The more it was maturing, the more it was acquiring a nutty taste (like fresh nut kernels or almonds). Just before bottling a minimum amount of sulfite was added (between 8 and 10 mg/100l).
his wine is not filtered and we do not control the temperature in the cellar. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The front label has been illustrated by Tinka Leskovšek featuring a goat. The reason behind it is that many centuries ago Koper was called 'goat island' or Capris. And because this is 'our goat' and we live in a bilingual area we used a play on words and created our own version using an Italian and a Slovene word, KOZA NOSTRA.