Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Most of the wine-producing districts have a
vinska cesta
(wine route) or two that you
can follow in a car or on a bicycle. Many are outlined on the website of the Slovenian
Tourist Board (
www.slovenia.info
)
. Along the way, you can stop at the occasional
klet
(cellar) that offers wine tastings or at a
vinoteka
in wine towns.
Choosing Wine
On a Slovenian wine label, the first word usually identifies where the wine is from and the
second identifies the grape varietal: Vipavski merlot, Mariborski traminec etc. But this is
not always the case, and some wines bear names according to their place of origin, such as
Jeruzalemčan, Bizeljčan or Haložan.
Slovenia's version of
appellation d'origine
contrôlé
e (AOC) is
zaščiteno geografsko
poreklo
(ZGP), a trademark protection that
guarantees provenance and sets the limits to
three quality levels. Some 9% is designated
vrhunsko vino
(premium wine), 54% is
kakov-
ostno vino
(quality wine) and 27% is
deželno
vino
(regional wine), not dissimilar to French
vin du pays
. The last 10% are wines classi-
fied as
priznano tradicionalno poimenovanje
(recognised traditional designation) such as
Cviček, Teran, Metliška Črnina, Belokranjec and Bizeljčan. Wines can be red, white or
rosé, and dry, semidry, semisweet or sweet. Very roughly, anything costing more than
about €6 in the shops is a serious bottle of Slovenian wine; pay more than €10 and you'll
be getting something very fine indeed and for €15 to €20, wines are super-premium.
One excellent Slovenian sparkling wine that employs the demanding
méthode classique
is Zlata Radgonska Penina from Gornja Radgona in Slovenian Styria, which is based on
Chardonnay and Beli pinot. Kraška Penina, a sparkling Teran, is unique. Late-harvest
dessert wines include Rumeni Muškat from Bela Krajina and Slovenian Istria.
The Wines of Slovenia
by Julij Nemanič, which fo-
cuses on the top 60 producers in the country, is an
excellent single source of viticulture and wine in
Slovenia.
FOOD FESTIVALS FOR ALL SEASONS
As is the case the world over, Slovenia marks holidays and important dates with special dishes. At pre-Lenten car-
nivals
krofi
(jam-filled doughnuts) are enjoyed while Easter is marked by decorated Easter eggs and a ham cooked
with herbs or
pršut
from Istria with black olives. And a Slovenian Christmas wouldn't be complete without a
pot-
ica
(nut roll).
