Tasty Istria: The most exciting gourmet destination in Europe?

Ask Sandra Toncic whether she makes the wine herself, and she responds with a modest grin: “We make everything ourselves here,” says the farmer and hostess, “with one small exception – the water!” Together with her husband Sandro and sister-in-law Orieta, Toncic runs an agriturism operation in Zrenj, a small Croatian town close to the Slovenian border. The view is magnificent, the cooking is both rustic and cleverly delicious. There’s country-style roast lamb from the farm’s own herd, lettuces and vegetables from the garden, truffles personally foraged by the owners and an air-dried prsut (prosciutto) that gourmets across Istria dream of getting their hands on.