Slovenian wines

The new nation of Slovenia (1991) extends from the south, along the Croatia to the north of the Alps along the Italian border (Carnian and Julian) and then east with the Stars and Hungary. The east and west ends have traditionally been areas of Slovenian wines production. The West prefers the Italian style of dry white (neck that goes from Friuli to Slovenia) and bodied, with remarkable product Teran Refosco on the hills. Towards east wines are oriented style Magyar intense from grapes harvested at advanced maturity.

In the middle between these two is the third wine region of the country, the valley of the Sava which has Alpine character, producing wine in particular Cvicek lighter rosé from Blaufrankisch here called Modra Frankinja.


The largest and the oldest part (the valley of the Drava and the hills between the Drava and Mura) produces mainly white. The grape is the basis of Laki (Welsch) and Riesling and Pinot (white and gray), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc (Muscat-Silvaner), Riesling, Traminer, Muscat yellow Rizvanec (Muller-Thurgau) and Kerner grapes at all. Rebula ( Ribolla) Sipon (Furmint) Ranin, and specialty Radgona whose wine is sold as a “tiger’s milk” but it is a tame tiger. And the mixtures are so varied that appear random, for example, the Halozan, a specialty of the central Ptuj wine bar that is a blend of Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon and Traminer. This region is divided into six districts which are made from Maribor, the hill of Haloze, Ptuj, Gornja-Radgona, Ljutomer- Ormoz (the vineyard is called Jeruzalem the time of the Crusades) and Lendava.

The vinification centralized tend to flatten the peculiarities of the various districts, but Slovenia has clearly its role as a producer of quality wines. His 20.000ha of vineyards are not sufficient to meet domestic demand, imports wine every day but at the same time increasing the initiative of individuals who are building a reputation.

FORMER WINE – YUGOSLAVIA

The Bosnian war of the ’90s has disintegrated and the former Yugoslavia, except Slovenia, which has loosened its ties in 1991, the wine regions of the countries involved have changed and positioned in its quota in the cultural one. To ease the treatment of these regions, regardless from their current and contentious, geopolitical situation.
The Balkans are full of old varieties of grapes, it is said that between Pannonia and Greece there are three hundred varieties, the area of Bosnia and Herzegovina is no exception to the nature of the territory and the Islamic culture that make life a little used except crop the Dalmatian coast and the interior up to Mostar where he produces the white Zilavka with dry and the scent of apricots. The region north of the river Sava, between Zagreb and Belgrade, it produces more white wine grapes used is known as the Welschriesling Grasevina. In Vojvodina, the Pannonian plain, and are bred Ezerjó Kadarka but the best are Sauvignon, and Traminac Grasevina from the hills of Fruska Gora. To the south of Belgrade Smederevka white grapes for a wine through the leaves immediately above the place Prokupac, vigorous red of Serbia, between Smederevo and Svetorazevo, representing 80% of production. Kosovo has found a good market for Cabernet and a sweet Pinot Noir sold in Germany under the name Amselfelder.

In the south is the best local red Vranac Montenegro and Macedonia, which in-TREQ uattro years and even class. Cooperatives and Croatian Serbs have industrial-sized while the Dalmatian has kept small. From Rijeka down the red is the best Plavac Mail with its small dark grain, it seems related to the forerunner of Cabernet originating in Albania, which produces the mellow and sweetish Dingac Pstup and the peninsula of Peljesac and reminiscent of a magnificent Prosek a door slightly paler and whose versions are known as Plavina or Opole. Some wines are products of strong personalities in the islands and hidden treasures as individuals. The Grk of Korcula, dry white, the pale and fragrant Bogdanusa Vugava like Hvar or Vis, the delicate Marastina Smokvica of Hvar as powerful or as amended by Prosek and white Posip, Furmint grape of the same, and they all have a different character from the modern Sauvignon blanc.