Marko Fakin of Motovun has won an astounding ten gold medals at the 25th Vinistra wine rating. Fakin won gold for all the samples of Teran and Malvazija he sent in, with his Teran Il Primo wining the competition of young Terans, with another gold medal the Muscat.
Marko Fakin was almost anonymous up to two years ago. Then last year he won a line of medals at Vinistra, while his Malvazija La Prima 2015 won 95 points at Decanter World Awards. At the same time, Daniela Kramarić fell in love with his basic Malvazija from 2016 which she recommended to many guests of the Plavi Podrum restaurant.
Verbal recommendations from an influential place coincided with numerous awards, making Marko Fakin into a great and authentic star of Istrian and national wine industry in only a year.
Any the young gentleman Fakin truly is authentic. Last year we spent a sunny afternoon with Fakin in his family home and in the vineyards around Motovun. Not in the winery, as Marko Fakin does not have a winery. He is an authentic garage producer, meaning he make wines in the cellar of his family home, with some wooden barrels as well. Part of the equipment not used in a certain part of production rests in the backyard.
Observing Fakin and his father, a cinematic Istrian labourer with hard hands, as they work in the vineyard and listening to them speak with passion about vineyards and wines, restores trust that in the wine business, except technical knowledge and marketing, there is still a category of pure honesty and humility. Fakin knows quite well just how much he still doesn’t know and leaves an impression of being always ready to learn.
So we feel that ten gold medals for Marko Fakin is in no way the pinnacle of his career, but only the end of the first chapter in a story of a potentially great global winemaker. And not to solely praise him, we heartily recommend Marko Fakin to stop making a sweet rose: the wine is somehow below his level.
Translated from Plava Kamenica, click here for the original.
