Magazine for Rural Development
Published by: INFONOVA Mitja Tripković s.p. 64 Goriška cesta, 5279 Ajdovščina mitja.infoburja@siol.net, +386 (0)5 36 71 501
Volume 3, August 2014
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development - Europe Investing in Rural Areas - Project co-funded by the EU
European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development - Europe Investing in Rural Areas - Project co-funded by the EU
The GlasNIK Project is partly financed by the European Union under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the Leader approach. The Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme of the Republic of Slovenia for the period 2007-2013 is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. INFONOVA, Mitja Tripković s.p., holds the responsibility for the contents of the GlasNIK magazine.
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Kamnar Biodynamic Farm
The Kamnar Biodynamic Farm, located in the village of Volčji Grad on the Karst Plateau, was established in 2004 by the Venier-Stancich family. The Farm has been organically producing all its products since then, however, in 2011 they adopted also the biodynamic principles of farming. where guests have the opportunity to taste and buy their products – wine, cured meat products, seasonal vegetables, eggs, bread, pastry and everything they produce more than consume. The Venier-Stancich family also hold guided farm tours and host biodynamic seminars and workshops. Their guests are mainly biodynamic enthusiasts from all across Europe and Slovenia. The Venier-Stancich family is a good example of living in symbiosis with plants and animals, as is their modest and healthy way of life with no stress and no worries.
Biodynamics, developed by Rudolf Steiner in the beginning of the 20th century, is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, food production and nutrition. It follows the holistic principles of farming, fosters a symbiosis between people, crops and animals and respects the earthy and cosmic forces. The basic biodynamic farming method is crop rotation, where different crops are grown in the same area in sequential seasons, preventing soil depletion and build-up of pests and disease. Instead of artificial chemicals, manures and composts with mineral and herbal additives prepared in special ways are used to further enrich the soil and prevent diseases.
The Kamnar Farm extends over 4.5 hectares of vineyards, fields and meadows. They rear free range animals, namely hogs, sheep and hens, for meat and cured meat products. The Farm grows various fruit, vegetables and cereals and produces wine, namely Malmsey and the indigenous wines Vitovska and Teran, the latter holding the Demeter Biodynamic Certificate, verifying the biodynamic standards in production and processing are followed. They fertilize with approved biodynamical manures and with fertilizers prepared by the Ajda Goriška Association for Biodynamic Management. The Farm encompasses also a winery,
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Grča Excursion Farm
The Grča Farm, located in the village of Hruševica on
the Karst Plateau, has a 500-year tradition, its Grča Restaurant, however, much shorter, but still an impressive 50-year one. The main activity of the Farm is the food service business, which was extended with accommodation capacities in 2002. Unfortunately, overnight guests were too few and the Grča family decided to sell the accommodation premises.
Karst cuisine. Their wide spectrum of dishes and specialties among other include jota (bean and sauerkraut stew), asparagus soup, pasticcio, green gnocchi with spinach, plum stuffed gnocchi, pasta with gorgonzola or truffle sauce and the famous beef clod with prosciutto broiled in Teran. Their dishes are delicious, some attracting visitors from faraway, many of them returning over and over again.
The family also engages in wine and prosciutto production. Since hog breeding is not allowed on the Karst Plateau, the Grča family buy prosciutto as an intermediate product in the Italian capital of prosciutto, San Daniele, and finish it in their own prosciutto processing facility on the Farm. The Grča prosciutto is of first class quality and sold to most prestigious restaurants across country. They cultivate around 9,000 vines and produce high quality Teran and Vitovska wines sold at the Grča Restaurant and to the supermarket chains Mercator and Tuš. In addition to wine, they produce also exquisite Teran liqueur Paulina, soon being served also at the Ljubljana Wine Shop. The Grča Restaurant serves traditional
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Avin Excursion Farm
The Avin Exursion Farm is located in the village of Gradišče nearby the town of Vipava and boasts over 100-year tradition of wine growing and wine production. The tradition continues, however in a much greater extent than in the past.
The Andlovic family cultivate nearly 50,000 vines on 10 hectares of land and produce 60,000 to 70,000 litres of wine annually. They produce a range of wine varietals, namely Robola, Riesling, Malmsey, Sauvignon, Cabernet, Merlot and Barbera, their favourite though are the indigenous Zelen, Pinella and Picolit. They grow, produce, market and promote their wine sold under Avin trademark all by themselves, which has proved very successful. Their wines are at disposal in wine shops, restaurants, stores and bars countrywide and the demand for them is high. In addition to wine growing, they breed also free range cows, bulls, horses and hogs. Some of the meat is sold, some of it is processed into prosciutto, salami, sausages and other meat products. Crop fields, namely barley, wheat, oats and maize, are grown for fodder on 20 hectares of land, giving the meat a unique taste. The Avin Farm organizes an osmica, a 10-day event where farmers offer their homemade produce at their farms, twice a year, in March and in December. Their osmicas are very popular and the majority of the visitors come from Slovenia and Italy. However, groups of visitors by prior
arrangement are welcome any time of the year and wine tastings up to 50 people can also be organized on all occasions. Avin Farm visitors are usually served with a traditional Vipava Valley meal – prosciutto and cheese cold cuts as starter, sausages, roast pork or spareribs with cabbage or turnip and roast potatoes as the main meal and štruklji (rolled dumplings) with cottage cheese and walnut filling for dessert.
Despite the worrying stagnation in the local rural development sector, the Andlovic family are planning to extend their tourist offer in the future, providing also accommodation to their guests and customers.
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Arkade Tourist Farm The Arcade Tourist Farm, run by the Cigoj family, is located in the village of Črniče at the foothills of Mount Kucelj. The Farm has a long tradition of wine growing and cattle breeding and has been preserved until today.
marmalades, grape marc spirit as well as mint, grape and elderflower juice. The Farm’s tourist offer includes accommodation, namely six double beds and a suite for 4, all equipped with internet, tel-
ephone, TV set, air condition and mini bar. The Farm also comprises two terraces offering magnificent views of the surrounding landscape and an outdoor swimming pool. The guests are served their home grown and home produced food, their specialties, however, are pork fillet, prosciutto, home baked bread and štruklji (rolled dumplings) with cherry filling. The guests have the opportunity to observe free range animals and to visit their magnificent wine cellar. There is also a number of interesting natural and cultural sights in the surrounding and a list of opportunities for sports, especially for hiking and fishing. Most of their guests usually stays for a day or two, whereas weekend guest are most often culinary connoisseurs. Most guest come from Germany and Austria as well as from Slovenia, a big portion of Italian guests, however, dropped drastically in the last few year All the food at the Arkade Farm is home grown, home produced and home processed with great care for the animals, the plants and the nature and with great love for farming and tourism.
The Cigoj family breed free range hogs, suckler cows and capons fed with home produced fodder, giving the meat a unique taste. Recently they registered and established a slaughterhouse thus becoming a licensed farm for the production and sale of meat and meat products. They also cultivate 5.5 hectares of vineyards and produce wine of various varietals, namely the indigenous Zelen and Klarnica as well as Robola, Malmsey, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In addition to that, the Cigoj family grow their own vegetables and a wide spectrum of herbs and produce
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Ferjančič Farm
The Ferjančič Farm is located in the village of Gradišče nearby the town of Vipava and offers splendid views over the Vipava Valley. The Ferjančič Farm also has accommodation capacities for 9 guests, offering 2 triple rooms and a suite for 3. In addition to that, the Farm organizes an osmica, a 10day event where farmers offer their homemade produce at their farms, twice a year, in spring and in November. During these events all accommodation capacities are fully booked and great amounts of their products are sold. On other occasions, their accommodation capacities are filled with visitors of all strands, but mostly cyclists, hikers and parachuters, spending just a night or two. They are served home made food and traditional Vipava Valley dishes, however, the Farm specialties are marmalade, cheese, cold cuts, jota (bean and sauerkraut stew) and štruklji (rolled dumplings).
The Farm focuses on wine growing, but grows also vegetables and fruit, mostly peaches, and breeds pigs for the production of cured meat products, such as prosciutto, salami and sausages. The Ferjančič family cultivate 4,000 vines and produce various wine varietals, namely Pinella, Robola,
Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Refosco and Merlot. They sell most of their wine to their regular customers and leave some for home use.
The Ferjančič family wish their guests would stay longer, but are well aware of the lack of the tourist offer in the Valley. The Valley urgently needs new and attractive tourist products, because the visitors need a reason to stay more than a day or two.
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Sinji Vrh Tourist Farm
The Sinji Vrh Tourist Farm is located just under the 1000-meter-high Mount Sinji Vrh on the Gora Plateau and offers magnificent views reaching the Adriatic Sea and the Italian Po Valley. But, the Farm, established in 1991, is special and unique in many other ways. ful surrounding and scenery, leaving their impacts also on the Farm where numerous art works are exhibited, indoor and outdoor. In addition to art events, the Farm also hosts various seminars and workshop dedicated to spiritual growth, for example yoga trainings and tai chi classes. Due to the proximity of the takeoff point, Sinji Vrh is quite popular also with paragliders and hang-gliders, and due to the nearby mounts Sinji Vrh, ÄŒaven and Golaki, also with hikers and cyclists. Most of their overnight guests is from abroad.
The Farm, run by the Vidmar family, engages in animal husbandry as well as accommodation and food service activities. They breed cattle, sheep and hogs as well as deer and mouflons. The Farm produces their own meat and meat products, some dairy products and herb spirits. The accommodation capacities encompass 12 double rooms for 29 visitors, whereas their restaurant sits 80 guests. They serve a range of delicacies, their specialty, how-
ever, are various venison dishes. The Sinji Vrh Tourist Farm is most famous for its art events. Since 1993 the Vidmar family host international art colonies and other art events, approximately 4 each year. Most well known is the Artists for Karitas charity colony, donating art works to humanitarian purposes. Artists from all over the world come to Sinji Vrh Farm to draw inspiration from the beauti-
The surrounding offers guests also a range of other cultural and natural activities and sights, such as the sculpture garden and the gallery at the Farm, free range animals, the Karst phenomena Otlica Window and Ĺ kraplje (limestone pavement), the Stone Spiral and much more. The Gora Plateau has great tourism potential, which, unfortunately, is not exploited as it could be, despite the efforts of all local tourist providers to develop new tourist products, to promote the unique Gora Plateau and thus to attract more visitors.
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Vrhpolje Camp
to visit the unique Kobal wine cellar and have a glass of their home produced wine. There is a number of natural and cultural sites in the vicinity and numerous opportunities for sports, especially for hiking, cycling, climbing or parachuting. The Camp high season is in July and August with visitors coming from all Europe, but mostly from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Belgium. Most guests stay for a night or two, many, however, impressed by the Kobal family and the surrounding, prolong their stay. The Vrhpolje Camp receives superb ratings on all foreign tourist websites, which is not surprising at all – the Kobal family warmly welcome all their guests and impress them with their genuineness, hospitability and friendliness.
The Vrhpolje Camp is situated in the village of Vrhpolje, just a few kilometres from the town of AjdovĹĄÄ?ina. The family-
run Camp is located on the Kobal Farm and encompasses a small campsite with sanitary facilities. The Kobal family also has an additional room in its tourist offer and plans to expand its accommodation capacities in the future. The campsite guests are provided with free wi-fi and have the possibility to rent a bike and use a washing machine as well as a barbecue. The guests are welcome
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Čotar Farm with K’ntina Restaurant
The Čotar Farm and their K’ntina Restaurant are situated in the small village of Gorjansko on the Karst Plateau, only a few kilometres from the Italian border. With a 25-year tradition the Farm is dedicated to organic production, whereas the Restaurant to high quality cuisine. their K’ntina Restaurant attracting demanding gourmets also from abroad.
The Čotar Farm focuses on organic wine growing and production, meaning chemicals are not applied neither to the vines nor to the wine. They produce premium wines marketed under the Simbioza trademark, encompassing the indigenous Vitovka and Teran as well as Sauvignon, Malmsey, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, white sparkling wine and Teran sparkling wine. The wine quantities produced are modest, the quality, however, is not. Their wine s sold to first class restaurants – 80 % of it is exported to USA, Russia, Germany and Italy, the remaining 20 % is sold to Slovenian restaurants and at the K’ntina Restaurant. In addition to wine, the Čotar family also grow goji berries and produce marmalades and Teran vinegar. The Restaurant serves first class cuisine and top quality wine, mostly to culinary experts and wine connoisseurs. They use exclusively home produced and home grown, organic and local ingredients. “If the ingredient is of good quality, no additives are needed,” says Branka, the head chef. Food preparation follows simple methods, uses herbs, little salt and solely olive oil. All the beverages served are also home produced – besides wine, they offer
also home-made apple juice and organic Czech beer Kratochwill. Top quality food and wine is the driving force of the Čotar Farm and the motto of
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Abram Tourist Farm
The Abram Tourist Farm is located on the Nanos Plateau at an altitude of 920 metres and offers magnificent views of the Vipava Valley and the Karst Plateau. The Farm is a perfect getaway from the hustle and bustle or a relaxing pit stop on the way. are mostly Slovenian. A popular tourist attraction on the Farm is their domesticated bear Mitko, found lost in the forest and adopted by the Jež family 16 years ago. Being licensed hunters, the Jež family organize also guided wildlife watching for tourists, where chamois, wild boars, bears, wolves, lynxes, eagles, owls and other wild animals can be seen up close. The Abram Farm guests have various interests and intentions – some are hikers, other cyclists, some interested in history, other in nature or culture, some want to spend their time actively, other just want to relax in peace and nature. The Abram Tourist Farm devotes time to each their guest and finds a way to meet the needs and wishes of all of them.
The Farm, run by the Jež family, offers traditional food, most popular, however, are jota (bean and sauerkraut stew), pasta, gnocchi, prosciutto and a range of meat
specialties from beef, pork and venison. Great demand is also for štruklji (rolled dumplings) with vegetables or cottage cheese, porcini sauce, wild strawberry pancakes and gibanica (layerd cake with apple, poppy seeds, walnuts and cottage cheese). All cured meat products in their offer are produced on the farm, beef is ecologically produced as are some vegetables. Pork is bought from free range breeding famers, whereas venison is obtained by hunting. Porcinis are picked in the area by locals and dairy products are bought from a farm in the Valley. All food, if not produced on the farm, is purchased from responsible farmers. The Farm has the capacity of accommodating 27 people in 9 rooms. 90 percent of their overnight guests come from abroad, mostly from Italy, whereas lunch parties
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Rebek Tourist Farm
The Rebek Tourist Farm, located in the village of Lokavec just a few kilometres away from the town of Ajdovščina, is a small tourist farm established just recently, in 2009. The farm itself, however, has a long, 150-year-old tradition. of Lokavec and see a prehistoric archaeological site, a forge museum with a renovated traditional forge, a church designed by a well-known architect Max Fabiani and much more. Those wanting a more active vacation can rent bikes or go hiking. Their guests are mostly parachuters and hikers, both headed to the Gora Plateau rising above the town of Ajdovščina and a great number of visitors come also to see the vast Slano Blato Landslide stretching over the village of Lokavec. Visitors come from abroad, but also from Slovenia, especially from the northwestern Koroška and Štajerska regions. All guests are warmly welcomed to the Farm and surely all of them leave pleased and satisfied.
The farm, run by Tadeja and Uroš Kompara, engages mainly in animal husbandry. They rear 110 bulls, 100 hogs and 2 mares and process meat into various cured meat products, such as prosciutto, salami and sausages. In addition to that, the Farm also grows fruit and vegetables, some of which is then processed resulting in sour cherry and apricot marmalades, stewed fruit, apple and sour cherry juice, elderflower cordial and pickled vegetables. Their selection of dairy products, namely butter, cheese and cottage cheese, is entirely home made from the milk purchased from the local farmer. The accommodation capacities of the Farm encompass two suites for 7 visitors,
which offer splendid views of the town of Ajdovščina, the village of Vipavski Križ and the Vipava Hills. The visitors have the opportunity to relax, whether in the nature in the orchard and the flower garden or in the basement where a hot tub and an infrared sauna are installed. Those interested in farming can take a tour of the farm, visit the stables and observe the meat processing process. Visitors interested in culture can take a tour of the village
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Špacapan House
The Špacapan House, a small family-run tourist farm with a restaurant and accommodation, is located in the village of Komen on the Krast Plateau nearby the Italian border. Slavomir and Ada Špacapan launched their food service business in1973 and started farming in 1980 in parallel to that. However, it was not before 2004 that the Špacapan House turned into a tourist farm, Slavomir dedicating his time to farming, Ada to food service and hospitality activities. To promote and diversify the tourist offer the Špacapan House holds two events, namely the Asparagus Month taking place in spring and the Traditional Dishes Month in autumn. In addition to that, the Špacapan House regularly visits and promotes itself at various local and international culinary and gastronomic events, such as the Lavender Festival, the KulinarFest, and Istria Gourmet. The Špacapan family strive to impress and attract more visitors by promoting their unique Karst Plateau and all its characteristics, but wish for warmer hospitality and greater openness among the fellow Karst people.
The Špacapan House caters only seasonal food, but of the highest quality. Meat and meat products, dairy products, fruit and fruit products as well as vegetables are all home grown, home made and locally produced. If Slavomir doesn’t produce the food himself, it is bought by the local farmer. However, all the beverages, from wine to spirits and liqueurs, are produced at the Špacapan House exclusively. Ada serves traditional dishes and delicacies typical of this part of the country. Her specialty are gnocchi, pasta and štruklji (rolled dumplings) with spinach, tarragon, cottage cheese or walnut filling. Indeed also the famous Karst prosciutto is served along with a number of home made cured meat products. Their accommodation capacities encompass 5 double rooms at the moment, but if the need arises, they have the option of turning the attic into additional rooms. Most of their guests come from abroad, mostly from Italy, Austria, France and the
Scandinavian countries. There is few Slovenian guests, recently, due to the crisis, even fewer than in the past years.
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Majerija Excursion Farm
The Majerija Excursion Farm, located in the village of Slap in the Vipava Hills, has a long and rich tradition, dating back to the 18th century. In 1994 Nataša and Matej Tomažič bought the 300-year old estate and renovated it into a family home and a rustic restaurant. their specialties include mlinci (pasta tatters), duck breasts in apple and lavender sauce, mouflon fillet in raspberry sauce, rooster wrap with pear and cinnamon stuffing and other original dishes. Due to the abundant offer of fine wines in the Valley, they do not produce wine, but hold a selection of over 150 wines of 20 top Vipava Valley wine producers. Their guests come mostly from Slovenia, but also from Italy, Austria, Croatia and elsewhere. They look for original food, fine wine and professional service as well as some peaceful and relaxing ambience, all of which the Majerija Farm offers.
Opened in 2006, the restaurant is their main farming activity, along with fruit, vegetable and herb growing in smaller quantities. They grow a wide spectrum of herbs in their herb garden, and fruit – almost all varieties prospering in the Vipava Valley, namely cherries, apricots, peaches, apples, plums, grapes, khakis and chestnut as well as some greengages, quinces and medlars. Produces not used
for restaurant purposes are processed into various herbal syrups (elderflower, mint, rosemary, thyme, tarragon), fruit syrups (figs in syrup), marmalades, spirits and liqueurs. The rustic restaurant serves exquisite simple and traditional cuisine with a contemporary touch, including vegetarian and vegan food. Among other delicacies,
The Tomažič family had long been planning to expand their tourist offer with accommodation and decided to establish an underground hotel with 10 double rooms. Since the Majerija buildings are all a protected cultural monument, an underground hotel under the herb garden seemed the right idea. Hopefully, the hotel will live up to the Tomažič family’s expectations and will give the Majerija Farm the value it deserves.
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Černigoj Farm
ČERNIGOJ FARM Address: 76 B Lokavec, 5270 Ajdovščina Mobile Phone: +386 (0)40 239 189 (Jože) Mobile Phone: +386 (0)40 217 192 (Dragica) E-Mail: kmetija. cernigoj@gmail.com Facebook: Kmetija Černigoj
The Černigoj Farm is situated in the village of Lokavec just a few kilometres from the town of Ajdovščina. The Farm has a long tradition of wine growing and cattle breeding, which is preserved and continued in greater extent. The Černigoj family cultivates vineyards extending over 3.5 hectares of land and produce a range of wine varietals. White wines include Welschriesling, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Robola, Muscat and indigenous Zelen, whereas red wines include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Barbera. The Černigoj family engage also in fruit growing. In 2005 first cherry orchards were planted and extended with additional 100 trees in 2014, altogether comprising over 300 cherry trees of various sorts. In 1996 the Černigoj Farm took up tourism in parallel to farming. Since then the Farm traditionally organizes an osmica, a 10-day event where farmers offer their homemade produce at their farms, twice
each year, in spring and in December. The osmica in December is most visited, both, however are very popular. At these events the Černigoj family serves home made wine and food, traditionally cured meat cold cuts, sausages or spareribs with turnip and roast potatoes, and štruklji (rolled dumplings) with walnut filling. In 2007 a winery was established at the Farm for wine tastings and wine cellar tours. Although open all year long, prior arrangements are preferred. Guests are served various home made specialties, from cold cuts to deserts, and offered home produced wine, which can also be bougth. The Černigoj family warmly welcome all guests and offer them a glass of wine while showing the estate and explaining their farming activities with great zeal.