Wines from Slovenia are back on our shelves, as the most prosperous and dynamic country of the former Yugoslavia gears up to sell more vinous offerings abroad.
"It's a far cry from the dreadful, medium-dry plonk we used to see so much of over here," says Angela Muir, a Master of Wine who works as consultant winemaker to Slovenian wineries.
"Their white wine is their crowning glory," Muir says. "The vine
yards are in good condition, with a perfect terroir."
To help perfect Slovenian dry white wines for our market, she sent in a team of New Zealand winemakers.
I recently tasted four top Slovenian estate wines, including Muir's, and was impressed with the potential. Many are made from young vines produced by a new generation of growers, whose fathers previously had to sell all their grapes to the co-operatives.
Slovenia's vineyard area is relatively small – with 400 growers on 20,000 hectares, it is a similar size to France's Burgundy region. There is a big move towards organic methods; they also macerate their whites for far longer than is usual in other countries.
Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot gris are the predominant grapes for whites; pinot noir, cabernet and merlot for reds. So close to the border with Italy's friuli, they also grow refosco and picolit (called refosk and pikolit here). Local varieties include sipon (aka furmint in Hungary), ranina and zelen.
In western Slovenia, bordering Italy's Collio region, Primorska (divided into four districts: Brda, Karst, Koper and Vipava) is very progressive, with growers from Brda leading the way. Some, such as Gravner and Kristancic of Movia, actually own land in both Italy and Slovenia. There are also interesting whites and reds here from Ed Simcic of Brda and his son Aleks, who farms ten hectares 15 miles from the coast.
Head east towards the Croatian border to Stajerska and three young dynamos, Bozidar Grabovac, Rajko Zlicar and Danilo Snajder, have formed Verus and with Muir's help their furmint and pinot gris are showing lovely pure fruits at good prices.
In the far north-east, near Austria, where microclimates are cooler and the soils volcanic, dry whites have a wonderful minerality, moderate alcohol and high natural acidity. Erich Krutzler produced the best wines in our tasting. His family has vineyards in Burgenland; he used to work as a consultant for Devri-Pax in Slovenia, but now runs the old Marof estate in Prekmurje. His wife is Elizabeth Pichler, daughter of the one of the greatest Austrian winemakers, FX Pichler. Austrian wine lovers, take note!
TASTE TESTDry run shows promise
WhiteBELI KRIZ 2007 Erich Krutzler
(£8.99, Raeburn Fine Wines, Edinburgh, 0131-343 1159)
Means "white cross" – a blend of welschriesling and sauvignon blanc. Very pale, creamy leesy, full flavours, good length – like a floral sauvignon. 15.5/20
ZELENI SYLVANER 2007 Erich Krutzler
(£8.99, Raeburn Fine Wines)
From the rare grüner silvaner grape. Light floral, touch grassy, celery notes, initially fruity, very high acid, quite austere – but very fresh. 13.5/20
RENSKI RIZLING 2007 Erich Krutzler
(£9.99, Raeburn Fine Wines)
Dry riesling with intense floral nose; very minerally, lovely length, good complexity – shows potential. 16.5/20
VERUS PINOT GRIGIO 2007
(£7.99, in a mixed case, The Real Wine Company, 01753 885619)
From a young, vibrant new winery assisted by Angela Muir MW. Zippy, dry, spicy, with a slight spritzy feel and high acidity. Good value. 15/20
BELI PINOT 2004 Ed Simcic
(£14.50, WoodWinters, Bridge of Allan, 01786 834894)
Deep gold, honeyed, with complex aromas; very big, weighty palate, rich, creamy leesy; oaky undertones. Made by the new generation at Simcic. 15/20
RedDUET 2004 Ed Simcic
(£21, WoodWinters)
Blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc from near Brda in the south-east. A little too much oak, but soft tannins; shows potential. 14.5/20
THE BEST DEALS THIS WEEKENDWhite BLANC NEUF LA BASTIDE 2006
(£6.67, reduced from £8.25, www.laithwaites.co.uk in June)
Fresh, lively southern French vin de pays blend. Crisp, weighty fruit, peppery finish.
Fizz JANSZ NV
(£9.19, reduced from £11.49, Oddbins)
Bright, fruity Tasmanian fizz. Crisp, creamy, with good length – definitely one of the best New World sparkling wines.
White RUEDA 2007 Palacia de la Menade
(£6.67, reduced from £7.33, Laithwaites in June)
Good value, crisp, green fruit flavours from Rueda, an interesting white wine region in inland Spain.
The full article contains 748 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
