Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mineral water are consumed in large quantities. Wine comes in 0.75L bottles or is ordered
by the deci (decilitre, 0.1L). A normal glass of wine is about
dva
deci (0.2L).
A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN
The pairing of food with wine is as great an obsession in Slovenia as it is in other wine-producing countries. Most
people know that
pršut
with black olives and a glass of Teran is a near-perfect match, but what is less appreciated
is the wonderful synergy other wines from the Karst - red Rebula, even white Malvazija - enjoy with these two
foodstuffs. With heavier and/or spicier meat dishes such as goulash and salami, try Cviček. Malvazija, a yellowish
white from the coast, is good with fish, as is Laški Rizling. And with sweet food such as strudel and
potica,
it's
got to be a glass of late-harvest Rumeni Muškat.
Wine Regions
Slovenia has three major wine-growing regions. Podravje (literally 'on the Drava'), en-
compassing the Prekmurje and Štajerska Slovenija (Slovenian Styria) districts, extends
from northeast Štajerska into Prekmurje and produces whites almost exclusively, includ-
ing Laški Rizling (welschriesling) and Renski Rizling (a true German riesling), Beli Pinot
(pinot blanc), Traminec (gewürtztraminer) and Šipon (furmint).
Posavje is the region running from eastern
Štajerska across the Sava River into Dolenjska
and Bela Krajina and includes the Bizeljsko-
Sremič, Dolenjska and Bela Krajina districts.
This region produces both whites and reds, but
its most famous wine is Cviček, a distinctly
Slovenian dry light red - almost rosé - wine with a low (8.5% to 10%) alcohol content.
Reds include ruby-red Metliška Črnina (Metlika black) and whites such as the sweet Ru-
meni Muškat (yellow muscatel).
The Primorska wine region, which encompasses the districts of Slovenska Istra (Slove-
nia Istria), Kras (Karst), Vipavska Dolina (Vipava Valley) and the celebrated Goriška Brda
(Gorica Hills), excels at reds, the most famous being Teran, a ruby-red, peppery wine with
high acidity made from Slovenian Refošk (Refosco) grapes in the Karst region. Other
wines from this region are Malvazija (malvasia), a yellowish white from Slovenian Istria
that is light and dry, and red merlots, especially the ones from the Vipava Valley and Gor-
iška Brda.
The oldest vine in the world, planted more than
four centuries ago and still producing grapes and
wine, is in Maribor.
