For centuries, Vodnjan has produced a special wine that was mentioned by numerous historians and writers, such as Tomaso Luciani, Marco Tamaro, Gabriele D’Annunzio, Pietro Sansa, Pompea Fabro - a desert wine which is even nowadays produced in small quantities, called vin de rosa.

It used to be produced from the grape from vineyards in extremely small area between Bale, Vodnjan and Peroj, with dark rose grapes, which after careful processing and long ripening turned into asweet tasting wine and was bottled and preserved for important events.

This wine is an Istrian specialty, which is, at least in its original quality, rarely found for sale since it is produced in small quantities. It has soft pink colour, a sweet taste and a very nice rose fragrance. The alcohol percentage is 10-12 vol.% and it is preserved in bottles, in the darkness of wine cellar if possible.

It was served at the end of the lunch on great family feasts (weddings, christenings, confirmation), great annual feasts (Easter, Christmas, New Year’s Eve) or it was preserved in order to be given to important figures, e.g. a doctor, a notary or some special guest.

In the past, vin de rosa was even used during recovery from illness, in order to overcome the weakness caused by high temperature after the flu or childbirth, being served to the person who was still in bed in a bowl of a good soup with an inch of vin de rosa inside it. The folk medicine claimed that it was a nutrient and that it fought the weakness.