red grape · regional staple
Teran
Carso Plateau, northeastern Italy
Say it
tehr·rah·noh
Croatian synonym Teran: teh-RAHN (two syllables); both forms appear on bottles from the same variety
On the palate
blackberryraspberryred cherrydried herbsironearth
How you spot it blind: blood-like iron minerality and searingly high acidity on inky dark fruit
The story
First written down · 1390, Istria
DNA profiling in the 2000s confirmed Croatian Teran is genetically distinct from Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso despite sharing the Refosco Nostrano parent, resolving decades of ampelographic dispute.
Family tree: ? × REFOSCO NOSTRANO
Where it lives
Carso DOC, Italy · Istria, Croatia · Kras, Slovenia
Shows up as
still redroséCarso DOC