Slovenia: Rediscovered Wines Spark a Budding Trend

Say to the sommelier or wine merchant that you want a Slovenian wine, and you might be surprised by the knowing and appreciative response.  Yes, Eastern European countries that have been making wine since B.C. days are experiencing a comeback.  The good news is that the newfound attention appears to be rightly deserved.

A long history of winemaking

Archeologists basically found old wine bottles and other winemaking evidence that date back to 6^th century B.C., and wine historians believe Slovenians probably learned about fermentation from the Greeks.  Throughout history, however, it’s been a roller coaster ride for Slovenian winemakers – boosted by the Romans, nearly dying out as a trade in 700 A.D., rising again simultaneously with Christianity in the region (the Catholic Church was a big player in the wine business in the 1200-1500s), until the late 1800s when Phylloxera destroyed half of the vineyards and sent winemakers scrambling all the way to the United States in many cases.  Slovenia went from 126,000 acres of vineyards to today’s nearly 60,000 acres.

The Oxford Companion to Wine estimates that today Slovenia has more than 40,000 registered wineries, making the average vineyard pretty small – 8-15 acres on average.  No surprise that most of locals generally consume most of this wine.

At a cultural, geographic crossroads

Interestingly, Slovenia is at the heart of great winemaking territory, or should I say terroir?  South of Austria, east of Italy, sitting along a bit of the Mediterranean and on the edge of some Alps, Slovenia enjoys a variety of terrains and microclimates that also unfortunately provide an unbelievable degree of uncertainty with each vintage.  Their limited production becomes ever more so in years where weather is not cooperative – 20, 30 even 50 percent less than normal.

Three broad regions comprise Slovenia wine territory: Primorska, Posavje and Podravje.  Primorska, which is also written as Primorje, lies closest to Italy, so many collaborations with Italian winemakers continue to occur. This region is probably the best known internationally, thanks to the Brda subregion and Movia, the oldest privately owned estate here, which makes biodynamic wines that caught Robert M. Parker Jr.’s attention.  Conversely, Posavje is probably least well known, but is the region that produces nearly as many red wines as whites and is located next to the Austrian border.  Podravje is the largest region, and according to Parker, has “long enjoyed the highest-quality reputation.”

The beauty of such diversity in such a small country is that winemakers are game for exploring varietals that will maximize the terroir of their very specific area.  Slovenia is most known for its whites, which make up 75 percent of its wines.  Not surprisingly, you will see Slovenian Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.  However, more likely, you will encounter wines whose names you can barely pronounce, let alone be familiar with.  The Wall Street Journal published a story recently on this phenomenon of unpronounceable wines come from Slovenia and other Eastern European countries, so now is the time to get a taste of Samling, Traminer, Sylvaner, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia, Kerner, Pikolit, Viovska, Sipon and Pinela.

Understanding Slovenian wine lingo

Much like the European Union, Slovenia created laws to require testing and tasting prior to market that decides the wines’ quality, per the Zaščiteno geoggrafsko poreklo (ZGP), which is similar to the European Union’s QWPSR system (Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions). The quality ranges are: Namizno vino (table wine); Deželno vino PGO (country wine); Kakovostno ZGP (quality wine); and Vrhunsko vino ZGP (premium quality wine). Additionally, Slovenian wine labels identify wine sweetness with the following terms: suho (dry), polsuho (medium-dry), polsladko (medium-sweet) and sladko (sweet).

It’s hard to get smart about Slovenian wine since so little of it leaves Slovenia. With the increased interest in finding new great wines, however, U.S. importers are starting to bring these Slovenian gems to wine sellers.  The key to learning more, however, is finding a wine merchant like Hinsdale Cellars, whose staff can provide information about their specific offerings and offer a taste of the Old World.

– Ivy F. Kupec