The Wines of Slovenia
Sitting at the crossroads of many an empire and country that has come and gone, Slovenia has been quietly making high-class wines for over two millenia with many of the current wineries founded as far back as the 1500's.
Location & History
As can be seen in the map, Slovenia is wedged between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia with a tiny, 40km of it touching the Adriatic Sea in the southwest corner. While the country looks like a running chicken, the geography has lent itself well to wine growing and thusly, people have been growing wine in the region since before Roman times.
Slovenia has been subject to the rule of various different kingdoms over the years, including the Habsburg Empire. Seeing as how they were in the southern reaches of the empire, they became part of the crossroads between East and West which is a role that they continued throughout Yugoslavian times.
Old Town, Ljubljana
As can be seen in the map, Slovenia is wedged between Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia with a tiny, 40km of it touching the Adriatic Sea in the southwest corner. While the country looks like a running chicken, the geography has lent itself well to wine growing and thusly, people have been growing wine in the region since before Roman times.
Slovenia has been subject to the rule of various different kingdoms over the years, including the Habsburg Empire. Seeing as how they were in the southern reaches of the empire, they became part of the crossroads between East and West which is a role that they continued throughout Yugoslavian times.
Old Town, Ljubljana
Wines & Regions
Slovenia has three main wine producing regions that comprise a little over 1% of the country, or about 60,000 acres with 40,000 registered vineyards.
Primorje in the west, is the main red producing region that gives us luscious wines such as Refošk as well as whites with strong bodies, such as Malvazija and the rare Pinela.
Posavje in the south-east, produces mainly white wines including Laski and Renski Riesling, Beli and Sivi Pinot Pinot, and the ancient grape Rumeni Plavec.
Podravje in the eastern region that forms the head of the "chicken", produces wines mostly in line with the regular fare of Central Europe including Chardonnay, Gamay, and Riesling.
Grapes in Podravje
Slovenia has three main wine producing regions that comprise a little over 1% of the country, or about 60,000 acres with 40,000 registered vineyards.
Primorje in the west, is the main red producing region that gives us luscious wines such as Refošk as well as whites with strong bodies, such as Malvazija and the rare Pinela.
Posavje in the south-east, produces mainly white wines including Laski and Renski Riesling, Beli and Sivi Pinot Pinot, and the ancient grape Rumeni Plavec.
Podravje in the eastern region that forms the head of the "chicken", produces wines mostly in line with the regular fare of Central Europe including Chardonnay, Gamay, and Riesling.
Grapes in Podravje
