"We met with our Slovenian colleagues and exchanged our stances regarding the problem of Teran wine and unfortunately, for the time being, we did not come across understanding and desire to find a compromise solution to submit a joint cross-border application to protect it so now we have to turn to our remaining possibility, primarily to discuss the matter with our colleagues from Italy and to conduct additional consultations with the European Commission and then we can take legal action which is at our disposal with the aim of protecting the interest of Croatian wine producers", said Minister Jakovina, adding that protection of Istrian Teran wine was of too great an importance to let the matter go at that.

He added that he would meet with his Italian counterpart at the end of the month.

Teran along with Malvazia wine are the best known native Istrian grapes. The Croatian public was awkwardly surprised recently when Slovenia took Istria's Teran off the shelves arguing that the Croatian label was not in line with EU legislation.

President of the Association of Croatian Wine Producers with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce Ivica Matosevic recently said that when Slovenia joined the EU it requested the protection of its Kras Teran however the technology to produce this wine was that of the Refosco sort from Kras. "That indicates that Teran is the same as Refosco but just that it is produced in their region", Matosevic said.

Jakovina explained that he had objected to Slovenia's attitude, stating that it was one thing to protect a traditional label and another to protect the origin of something that has proven that Teran and Refosco are two different sorts.

"We had expected more understanding toward our common interests in cross-border projects for protection for all three countries that produce Teran", Jakovina said.

Last week, Slovenia's Agriculture Minister Dejan Zidan said that Teran (or Terrano) wine, made of grapes cultivated in Slovenia's Kras region, had obtained the protected geographical status in compliance with the European Union's regulations, and he also insisted that Croatia's Teran wine cannot be sold in Slovenia or other countries as it had not been covered by the EU quality scheme.

"In order to protect Teran in accordance with the EU rules, we have invested much knowledge and effort. We expect EU acceding countries to abide by the EU acquis, just as Slovenia does, even in cases when it does not suit us," the Slovenian minister told the local media on Friday.

In this way, Zidan commented on the latest developments surrounding this wine sort after a Slovenian retail chain was ordered by the authorities to take bottles with Teran produced in Croatia from its shelves, following complaints by Slovenian wine makers.

The withdrawal of this Croatian Istrian wine from Slovenia's stores prompted Croatian Minister Jakovina to announce his ministry's steps in order to protect Croatian Teran.

Jakovina said last week that his ministry would commence bilateral and trilateral activities to resolve the problem.

Terrano or Teran is a Croatian, Slovenian and Italian dark-skinned grape variety. The wine produced from this grape acquires a distinctive flavour and bouquet only when it is grown in the specific terra rossa ("red earth") soil typical of a very restricted area of the Kras plateau.