The Istrian town of Novigrad is one of the centres of weekend tourism in Croatia, but their most prominent guests are not what you’d expect: they are Italian tourists. In order to offer them what they’re looking for in a small tourist town, two wine bars have been opened there in the past few years, however Rigo wine bar has not changed the course and is still a wine bar. And, apparently, it maintains open throughout the year, so it’s possible to enjoy the bar without the crowd if you visit outside the busy months.
The bar is located in the centre of the city, named after the famous villa built by the nobleman in the eighteenth century; it’s a quaint little bar, with just a few tables inside and a lovely terrace. Because of its size, their wine list is not too extensive, but they believe that they have succeeded in presenting the best of Istrian wines to their customers. They do not have a kitchen, so you will not be able to have any cooked food, but they offer finger food, platters of pršut (they sell pršut made by Pršutana Jelenić), cheese, salted anchovies etc and home-made bread they’re very proud of.
Their wine list reads like a who-is-who in Istrian winemaking list, as they offer wines by Capo, Roxanich, Clai, Trapan, Coronica, Arman and others. In addition to those local Croatian wines you can find some Italian imported wines, obviously meant for their Italian guests, including a selection of Italian prosecco. They also offer some locally brewed beer from craft breweries like San Servolo, and you can buy some local products such as olive oil in the bar as well.
You wouldn’t say that the prices of the wine and food in the bar are for a budget-oriented visitor, but the lovely atmosphere and staff friendliness and knowledge make up for that and make you want to come back to the bar as soon as possible.
Rigo Wine Bar
Velika ulica 5
52466 Novigrad
Phone: +385 (0)98 804 667
http://www.facebook.com/rigowinebar
