News & Events
Slovenia: Quickest Out of the Bloc by Neil Martin
Introduction - Tasting Notes
Whilst I fully admit that budget airlines have opened up the world for us proles, part of me rues the time when the Continent burgeoned with undiscovered retreats, particularly in mystical Eastern Europe. Call me a curmudgeon, but nowadays go anywhere south or east of Vienna and you will find yourself desperately trying to avoid innumerable roving stag and hen parties. Somehow I doubt that Sharon, dressed in white veil and ribbed condoms, necking absinthe since noon, will appreciate Vojtech Sucharda’s artistry on the façade of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Barry, currently naked and playing with his own vomit in Budapest alleyway, will forego tomorrow’s scheduled visit to the 2,000-year old Roman ruins of Aquincum. He has appointment at a highly recommended lap-dancing bar.
In 2002 I had the pleasure of visiting a pre-budget airline city of Ljubljana for a friend’s nuptials. Here was a city as yet unblemished by feral stag parties tarnishing the name of my homeland abroad. It was just so picturesque and unspoilt. Nobody spoke much English and I could not read any of signs…just how I like my foreign countries. The hotel was five quid per night and the traditional food was delicious, even if I had no inkling of what I was putting into my mouth. The city was so lively, so alien, so picturesque, so embracing and the wedding reception boasted some delicious Slovene wine, none of which I can remember.
Thereafter, I have always felt an affinity for Slovenia, although I rarely had a chance to sample its vinous fare until July this year, when the Wines of Slovenia Trade & Press tasting convened 26 producers under the roof of Vinopolis to showcase around 150 wines. Somehow I managed to taste nearly every one and find time to speak to journalist and wine educator Robert Gorjak (pictured) who had put the event together.
“This is not the first time we have done a Slovene tasting,” he told me. “There was one a few years ago. I know that every serious region organizes such events in London and if we really want to make an impact, then it has to be done. Whether we do it every year depends upon the willingness of the winemakers.”
I ask whether much Slovene wine is imported into the U.K.?
“Not much…but the figure is growing. There are about a dozen wineries representing about 40 to 50 wines available in the UK and they are all present is here. Slovenia is still 95% a domestic market. What we produce we mostly consume. [Indeed, Slovene purportedly consume 50-litres per head, one of the highest in Europe!] But there is more and more wine being imported and more and more being exported, mostly premium wines.”
I ask him about indigenous varietals. Where does he believe Slovenia’s strengths lie?
“Rebula is achieving recognition in Brda. We have ripe grapes with low alcohol, around 12.5 and 13.0 percent with natural acidity levels…very fruit friendly wines. There are still a lot of international varietals but they have been planted for decades. Did you know that Slovenia is the seventh largest producer of Chardonnay on the planet? Although the trend is for the reds, Slovenia is a white wine country. People are not often patient enough to plant Pinot Noir and the market does not really understanding the variety.”
“Slovenia has around 400 producers bottling their wines. There is approximately 17,000-hectares under vine, but there are plenty of vineyards under five-acres that are unregistered. [This is in no small part due to the totalitarian regime limiting holdings to a maximum of 9-hectares.] The industry is slowly restructuring and becoming more serious but most remain family run enterprises. Slovenia has 14 districts and each one has a co-op. In fact, a majority of wine is still produced by co-ops.”
I ask him about the tendency for Slovene wines to be expensive vis-à-vis their Eastern European counterparts.
“We are not part of Eastern Europe. We think of ourselves as part of Central Europe with Austria and Italy. High price is both an advantage and disadvantage. You have money to invest in the winery but sometimes you cannot be self-critical enough. I think over time we will begin to recognize the best parcels and though the law allows a Cru system, it has not been instituted. I think Slovenia as a brand will be more recognised in the future.”
A Primer
Before approaching the wines, a quick primer on Slovenia and its wines. From 1918 the country was part of Yugoslavia and under Communist rule the focus of wine was upon quantity rather than quality through the co-operatives (that still constitute around half of production.) Slovenia became the first Yugoslav republic to state its independence in 1991 and the fall of the Iron Curtain was followed by a shift towards more quality-driven wines. All wines are analyzed and assessed before entering the market. The lowest level is table wine (namizno vino), then country wine (dezelno vino or PGO) that must come from a single region, quality wine (kakovostno vino or ZGP) and the premium quality wine (vrhunkso vino ZGP). The last two categories must come from a single district. Many Slovene wines are labelled PTP (posebno tradicional poimenovanje), a designation for traditional wines from a delimited origin.
There are three major wine regions:
1. Podravje – the largest wine region (10,500-hectares) was divided in seven districts, reduced to two since 2005, that are almost entirely devoted to white wines. The dominant varieties are Laski Rizling (Welschsriesling) and Sipon (Furmint), complemented by Renski Risling (Riesling), Sivi Pinot (Pinot Gris), Beli Pinot (Pinot Blanc) Traminec (Gewürztraminer), Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The whites tend to be low in alcohol with crisp acidity, often shrouded by residual sugar. Some highly regarded Trockenbeerenauslese and Eisweins can be found thanks to the long cool autumn season and cold winters.
1. Posavje – the smallest major Slovene wine region is focused more towards reds, indeed a lot of bulk wine derives from this region. The white can be a little shrill although some fine Eiswein’s have been produced from Posavje.
1. Primorska – regarded as one of the more dynamic regions and is divided into four districts that include Goriska Brda, effectively a continuation of the Italian Collio region across the border. Therefore it is unsurprising to find a strong Italian influence here, (indeed I have heard that the finest truffles are from Croatia, not Alba.) Coastal districts enjoy a Mediterranean climate whilst inland it is more continental. The wines are tilted slightly towards whites, although some of the country’s finest reds hail from Primorska. Although international varieties play an important role, indigenous varieties such as Rebula and Refosco are highly regarded, whilst the Vipava Valley is famed for its white varietals such as Zelen and Pinela.
The Wines
As I mentioned in my introduction, I arrived at the starting bell and finished only when I had tasted all the wines. It occupied the entire day, but at least it presented an overall view of Slovene wine and offered a neat juxtaposition against the Croatian wines that I had tasted just the previous month.
Firstly, compared to its Eastern European neighbours (and I use that term in a geographic rather than philosophical sense), I expected Slovenia to punch above its weight…and I was not disappointed. The country is host to a number of magnificent wines that deserve their place on the world stage. It was no surprise to find that it was the white wines that really caught my eye and at times they ranked alongside a fine Burgundy Premier Cru or German Riesling. My immediate impression was that these winemakers know what they are doing. It sounds rather prosaic, but I mean that in the sense of winemakers mastering their craft and heading in the right direction. With Croatia’s wines, I felt that they were bowing to international styles, particularly in terms of alcohol and use of oak, but irrespective of quality, there was a feeling of honesty to these Slovene wines.
The alcohol levels were kept in check and I felt that the wines were often beautifully balanced and allowed the terroir, on occasion the mineralité to shine through. The best aromatic wines tended to be perfumed but not over-powering, retained their acidity and freshness towards the finish. Check out the Renski Rizling 2008 from the excellent Dveri Pax Winery (available from Savage Selection at superb prices) or the seductive Pinela 2009 from Guerila. They are the kind of wines you taste and fight the urge to just run out the door with. I felt that the best Slovene wines were those that were prudent with the residual sugar levels and occasionally I felt that a below par wine was being masked in unfermented sugar to make it more palatable. I was less taken with some of the sweeter examples on show, although the G Sladko 2008 from Pullus that delivers 106gms of residual sugar without compromising tension or poise demonstrated exactly what can be achieved and I suspect that there are many more fine examples waiting to be discovered.
(Winemaker Bojan Kobal. His Pallus wines come highly recommended.)
In terms of grape varieties, perhaps the most exciting prospect is the quality of Slovenia’s indigenous varietal wines. Check out the Zelen Lantheiri 2009 from Vipava 1894, a blend of 90% Zelen and 10% Sauvignon Blanc; the Ranfol 2009 from Pullus; the Roma 2007 from Guerila (a blend of Ribolla, Pinella and Zelen) or the Lunar 2007, a pure Rebula from Movia. I was also impressed by some of the Furmints, for example the Furmint 2009 from Verus Vineyard that had been judiciously raised in 15% new oak (available from The Real Wine Company/ and Astrum Wine Cellars).
As usual, I have avoided being patronizing with my scores and I have left my tasting notes unexpurgated of wines that for whatever reason did not quite make the grade. There were wines that lacked a little ripeness, others that for want of a better word; were just rather boring. But there is not a wine region in the world that is not afflicted by those and in a way, it is all part of the learning process. I was looking forward to the highly regarded reds from Movia, but to be honest I felt that Aleš Kristančič wine exhibited more winemaking than a sense of terroir, as if he is thinking about his wines too hard. Then again, they showed more mature vintages and if truth be told, I am more intrigued to discover their younger wines within three-years of bottling because there is patently a meticulous approach to winemaking.
Although there is a panoply of tasting notes, I am fully aware that there is much more to discover in Slovenia. I have heard great things about the coveted reds from terra rossa soils of Teran and the legendary Stanko Curin’s revered Eiswein’s from Pravino. Given the Slovene’s prediction for fermented grape juice (50-litres per year…they are a thirsty lot) I suspect that its best wines may be consumed within its borders, which in some ways is a pity because Slovene wines deserve their place on the world stage. Then again, who am I to determine who drink what and where? It means that for the time being, Slovene wines will remain relatively expensive compared to other countries, yet certainly here in the UK I thought some of them represent outstanding value vis-à-vis intrinsic quality.
I hope to venture to Slovenia in the near future. I have not returned since 2002 for fear of jeopardizing my rose-tinted memories of idyllic Ljubljana. Now that you can fly direct, will it be the same? Or has it suffered the same fate as Prague and other Eastern European stag-do destinations?
However, given the quality of Slovene wines I should get over and unearth its vinous treasures for myself. You never know…I might bring Sharon and Barry with me.
Wine-Journal Recommends
I have winnowed out twelve Slovene wines that made a great impression during the day. All of the following scored 90-points or above…
2008 Dveri Pax Winery Renski Rizling
2008 Horvat Traminec
2009 Pullus Renski Riesling
2009 Radgonska Tigrovo Vino Radgona
2009 Verus Vineyards Furmint
2008 Kristancic Dusan Pikolit
2005 Movia Veliko Belo
2006 Vinska Klet Goriska Brda A+Rdece
2009 Guerila Pinela
2007 Guerila Roma
2009 Vipava 1894 D.D. Malvazija Lathieri