A tour to discover the best wineries in Slovenia, starting from the area bordering Italy to the one where there are fewer but qualitatively better vines, bordering Hungary.
When you are talking about wine areas, our thoughts automatically turn to Tuscany, Friuli, or the great regions of France. More rarely we think perhaps of California, or Australia, whose wines have become very fashionable especially in recent years and which are certainly favored by a climate that lends itself well to the cultivation of the vine. However, there is another country that has great wine producing regions: the Slovenia.
Slovenia is certainly not the most obvious choice when it comes to an oenological trip, but wrongly! There are indeed several lovely regions to visit, and very interesting if you want to take advantage of tastings and tastings. Plus it will be one of those trips where you won't have the problem of thinking about what to bring to friends as a gift! A good bottle of wine is (almost) always a very welcome thought.
These are the three areas that I recommend you visit if you find yourself nearby!
The Vipava Valley
La Vipava valley, which takes its name from the homonymous river, a well-known tributary of the Isonzo, is located a short distance from the Italian border. In fact, it extends from the plain of Gorizia up to the heart of central Slovenia, and thanks to its evocative landscape it is a very popular destination even for lovers of hiking.
In addition to the known Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet, excellent varieties of indigenous wines such as lo are produced Zelen or Pikolit, a sweet and much appreciated wine, particularly suitable to accompany desserts of all kinds.
The particularly favorable climate also helps the cultivation of many types of fruit. My dispassionate advice is therefore, between one glass and another, to also try the various types of artisanal fruit juices which are generally packaged in the same farms that also produce wine. In particular, my favorite is the peach juice made with Vipava peaches. Taste it and you will not regret it for sure.
Goriška Brda
Just like the city of GoriziaHistorically divided in two between the Italian and Slovenian territories, even the Gorizia Collio is strictly "shared" with our neighbors. Brda, in fact, it is nothing more than the literal translation of “Collio”, and therefore simply indicates the areas of this territory cultivated across the border.
As for the reds, here too, as in the Vipava Valley, the most popular wines are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but the area is best known for its whites: Pinot Bianco e Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and especially the Ribolla.
The small farmhouses and taverns are numerous: depending on your itinerary and what you would like to visit in the surroundings, you could create your very own personal Wine Route and stop for a glass and to taste some local specialties. Whatever itinerary you choose, the possibilities for food and wine breaks will certainly not be lacking.
Podravje
On the opposite side of the country, i.e. to the north-east, near the border with Hungary, on the other hand, we find the largest wine region in all of Slovenia. While not the one that boasts the highest production in terms of volume, it is certainly the one that produces the finest qualities.
In this region it will be easy to find historic family-run farmhouses and farms that have handed down their savoir faire from generation to generation. They will certainly be happy to welcome you and let you discover the places where their wines are born. Most of them, among other things, now also offer accommodation for the night, so they could prove to be excellent places to stop and stop, for example during a traveling trip, also in consideration of the fact that they are often really solutions. low-cost.
Even in this region the most common varieties of grape are undoubtedly those a white berry: among the unmissable we can count the Traminer, Sylvaner, or even the Šipon.
