When I first visited Slovenia I was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality of some of the wines. I visited a restaurant in Lubljana and asked the owner to recommend me a red wine to go with my steak. He produced a bottle of Vipava 1894 and from then on I was hooked. After a little more exploring, I found the Movia Wine bar near the cathedral and sampled the heavenly delights Movia wines and the local Kraški Pršut ham.
Many older readers from Britain will remember Ljutomer Riesling, which was very popular in the 1970’s, and introduced many British to wine drinking. This wine was indescribably bad and how it ever converted British beer drinkers into wine lovers I will never know. But in those days the beer was almost as bad and the campaign for real ale had hardly got going. All countries have good and bad wine and Ljutomer Riesling can still be found on the Croatian border under the new guise of Ljutomer Laški Rizling, and a lot of it has not improved much.
The top quality wines that I am writing about, are not the ex-Yugoslavian plonks of the 1970’s but modern Slovenian wines which are equal to some of the best from France, Italy and the USA. These wines are grown by small producers who exploit the best from their soil and climate. These wines are made by producers who want to rival the quality of the finest Kraški Pršut.
The area under vine in Slovenia is small at around 24,000 hectares and it is confined to three regions which are at a similar latitude to Bordeaux.
The Primorska (Primorje) region situated next to the Adriatic has a Mediterranean climate. Primorska produces Slovenia’ finest wines from four areas: Brda,the Kras, Vipava and Koper. I could swear that the Čotar Kras Terra Rossa made from the Refosco grape has medicinal qualities that give you strength when drunk with an aged steak.
The Posavje region runs alongside the Sava region and is famed for its blended wines. A particular favourite of the Slovenians is Civiček which is a very light red wine which is fresh and fruity and blended from both red and white wine and drinks well with Slovenian sausages.
The Podravje region runs alongside the Drava river. Maribor is Slovenia’s second city and boasts the oldest vine in Europe and the Vinag wine cellars which are well worth a visit. The Ljutomer- Ormož is located in the low hills near to the Croatian border and produces the regions best wines. I recently tasted a Jeruzalem- Ormož Sivi Pinot ( Pinot Grigio) which was a very good wine with pronounced aromas of peaches and stone fuits and well balanced acidity; it was perfect as an aperitif. They also produce good dry sparkling wine. Jeruzalem rests on a sleepy hillside with its well laid out wine terraces. There is a long tradition of viticulture which predates the Crusaders, some of whom claimed it was the real Jerusalem. After tasting the wine, wisely, they decided to proceed no further.
The wines of Slovenian are difficult to obtain outside of the country, so why not pay a visit to appreciate some of the finest alpine scenery, cleanest lakes and extensive limestone caves in Europe. And, of course to match, these fine natural attributes are the wines and the cuisine to go with them.
Below is a list of other recommended producers:
From Goriška Brda
Movia – Rebula, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Modri Pinot ( Pinot Noir)
Marjan Simčič - Rebula
Edi Simčič – Rebula and Sauvignon Blanc
Vinska Klet Bagueri Merlot and Chardonnay
From the Kras:
Boris Lisjak – Izbrani Teran
From Vipava:
Vipava 1894 Lanthieri – Cabernet Suavignon
From Koper:
Santomas – Refosk ( Refosco)
Vinakoper – Capo d’Istria
From Ljutomer- Ormož:
Čurin – Sauvignon Sweet white wine from noble rot grapes
Magdič – Modri Pinot ( Pinot Noir)
From Maribor:
Vinag - Laški Rizling
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