Slovenely Winetasting

A friend of a friend, D., lives in Ljubljana, and kindly stole away from his family Sunday morning to show G. and I around town. Our first stop was for coffee, and our second for beer. Sensible people, these Slovenians. Ljubljana has a very pretty city centre, nestled up against a castle-topped hill, lots of activity around the river, and plenty of greenery. Great discussions with D. about history (as a people, very old, as a nation, very young), politics (stable & progressive), economy (growing nicely), literature (Boris Pahor), and most importantly, wine (tasty) and food (neither diet nor vegetarian friendly - good thing the Mrs. didn't join).


By the end of our walking tour it was late morning, and while the air was crisp, the sun was shining brightly and the place was bustling. D. went off for Sunday brunch with the family, while G. and I prepared to sample the length and breadth of Slovenia, settling on Dvorni Bar's outside seating along the canal.


My first priority was Movia, a biodynamic producer from the Brda Valley, adjacent to Collio on the Italian side of the border. Movia also runs their own wine bar in Ljubljana, but unfortunately it was closed on the day. This sampler made up for it – from left to right:

2001 Movia Pura Rose - 100% Pinot Nero. An undisgorged sparkler, unlike any I've ever had. Clear, orange-bronze in colour, with an incredible nose of flan, cheesecake, creme brulee. Decadent. On the palate, bone dry, astringent, with dried forest berries up front, a bit of prickle and more creme brulee (but not sweet) on the finish. Tremendous.

2006 Movia Lunar - 100% Rebula. Allegedly harvested by the light of the moon, unfiltered, skin-fermented and barrel aged in French oak for 7-9 months. Tremendous nose of dill, pickles, tarragon, caramel, honey, and loads of mint. Tannic, with sharp but fleeting acidity, oxidative, with sherried, caramel, butterscotch, candied orange peel, and mineral notes. Full-bodied, yet lively. Looong drying finish. Had this with the smoked salmon and orange-dill mayonnaise on toast, and it was an excellent match.

2002 Movia Merlot. Seems unfiltered, ruddy black cherry colour. Restrained nose, dried cherries, with herbal and bitter chocolate notes. Lightly oxidative, tannic, with a drying, caramelised finish.

2003 Movia Cabernet (not pictured - 100% Cab. Sauv.) Spicy nose, red fruit and savoury elements. A bit green on the palate - tannic, good acidity, cranberries, green tomato, some honeydew (weird), and a drying, astringent finish. Not unpleasant, but I wasn't finding so much interest here.


Having exhausted the Movia choices, we moved onto a couple more rebula, fast becoming one of my favorite white varietals.

2007 Kristančič Dušan Rebula, Goriška Brda, Primorska - 100% Rebula: Pale lemon colour, nose of vulcanised rubber, smoke, lemons, dried Italian herbs, and onion greens. On the palate, oily and full bodied, lighter acidity, olives and tomato acids, mineral water, long finish with bitter salad greens. Delicious.

2006 Jakončič Aljoša Rebula, Goriška Brda, Primorska - 100% Rebula: Simpler than the Kristančič, though with a similar nose of lemons, onion greens and smoke, and a touch of sour cream. A hint of sweetness, raw potato, mineral water and a light sweetness, enough to make a decent aperitif.


And then, for the rest of the day, things got strange.

2005 Sutor Burja,Vipavska Dolina, Primorska - "white blend": Smoky nose, lemons and candied fruit. Rich and oily body, well balanced by the acidity. Wet stones, lemon, candied fruit, and just a dark edge of coal. A pleasant wine. I'm guessing Tocai Friulano and Rebula were in the mix.

2004 Makovec Bogdan Mansus, Vipavska Dolina, Primorska - 100% Klarnica: Normally vinified sweet, but this was off-dry. And weird. Intensely aromatic nose - bubblicious, smarties, tuber rose, and talcum powder. Offputting nose, but we press on... good acidity, good weight, still a hint of bubble gum on the palate, but curiously mingled with citrus, straw, and wet hay notes. Just. Plain. Weird.


Time to stretch the legs a bit, see a man about a horse, and so on. A brisk walk to the castle and back, we passed a wine shop. Good thing it was closed. How ever would I have brought this thing home?


Having avoided buying absurdly awkward souvenir, we checked in at a new wine bar on the opposite side of the river from Dvorni, RanDeVu, only open for 4 months. Their philosophy is, in brief, "if it isn't popular, then that's what we'll serve." We directed the manager to serve us only varietals we hadn't heard of.

2006 Steyer Ranina, Podravje - 100% Ranina: Very pale lemon colour, fresh clean nose of citrus and ginger, crisp acidity, and fresh, light, mineral and citrus on the palate. Nice.

2007 Miro Šipon, Štajerska Slovenija, Podravje - 100% Šipon: Not completely new, this is local version of furmint. 2 demerits. Even paler than the Ranina, almost imperceptible colour. Brighter nose, hints of tropical fruit, with an unusual, cured meat thing as it warms up. Bright acidity, almost zingy, with a bit of frizzante. A bit more weight than the ranina, slightly leesy finish. Again, nice.

2007 Cviček Ptp, Dolenjska, Pleterje - 60% Žametovka, 30% Bele Kraljevine, and the remainder is made up of Jelaškega Rizling, Zelenga Silvanica, and Žlahtnina: Ok, really? Ptp? Yes, that is the correct spelling. No, I cannot pronounce it. This is made at a monastery in the eastern part of Slovenia, under the auspices, but perhaps not at the direction of the monks. The nose was intriguing: very vegetal, with mint, cinnamon, green pepper, and spice notes. The palate though was rather thin, suggestions of strawberry and red stone fruits, but obscured by an impression of cottage cheese. An oddity, not likely to be revisited by me.


Well, after that experience, it was definitely time for dinner and something tasty. Pork cutlets. With bacon. And dumplings. And gnocchi. And garlic soup. And some wine with dinner? But of course! The 2007 Boris Lizjak Kras Izbrani Teran! O tannin-bomb, o tannin-bomb. My face is still puckered...