English version, Glasnik 01

photo by Robert Ferjančič

Magazine for Rural Development

Number 1, July 2013

European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) - Europe Investing in Rural Areas The project is partly funded by the EU

Katja Blagonja

Zelen Consortium

Protocol Wines

Vipava Valley Wine Queen

Its 10th Anniversary

Zelen and Merlot from Planina

Katja Blagonja will hand over her crown to her successor queen at the Vipava Harvest Festival at the beginning of September. In an interview for GLASnik she comments on her year of ‘reigning’, which is slowly coming to an end.

The Zelen wine has a special meaning in the Vipava Valley. Zelen was on the verge of extinction on the account of numerous other fashionable grape varieties, but fortunately, a sudden twist in the farmers’ mindset made it a popular wine type. On the 10th anniversary of the Zelen Consortium we talked to its chairman Franc Premrn.

Each year the Municipality of Ajdovščina chooses one white and one red local wine for its protocol and ceremonial activities.

These wines help guests and visitors of the municipal events to realize how rich our winegrowing region is and contribute to the promotion of the local winegrowing and winemaking industry.

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PAGES 14–17

Dear readers, you are looking at the first issue of the GLASnik magazine published by my company with the help of LAG, the Local Action Group which is taking a stand for the rural development of the Upper Vipava Valley and the Komen Karst.

Thanks to the Leader Programme, funded by the EU, at least five more issues of this magazine will follow over the next few months.

The underlying issue was designed to present the winegrowing and winemaking industry in the municipalities of Ajdovščina, Vipava and Komen. There are 194 registered winemakers in this area, but unfortunately all couldn’t find its place in the magazine.

However, the high number of winemakers, their diversity and the long tradition of winemaking are a clear evidence that this region is a winegrowing region. It is a home to wines, to rich, fresh and diverse wines. Excellent wines.

The magazine was distributed to 10.024 households in this area in order to draw people’s attention to local winemakers, the quality of local wines and their diversity, but also to encourage people to reach for our local wines.

Two thousand copies were sent to all the tourist information centres across Slovenia in order to be distributed among tourists, among their visitors.

The magazine was also translated in English and Italian and published on the website of the ROD Agency for Development. In this way, the magazine is accessible to the entire world and can reach a wider public. Usually tourists carefully plan their travelling routes and I am certain that the magazine and our rich wine culture will convince more people to visit our region. And none of them will leave hungry or thirsty, because we make so much wine, we couldn’t drink it all, even if we’d drink every day and all night long.

However, the Upper Vipava Valley and the Komen Karst are not renowned only for their excellent wines. They have much more to offer and that will be the topic of our following issues. Expect to get to know our local fruit-growers, livestock breeders, milk farmers, cheese makers, beekeepers and many others. Their products will receive the same attention as the wines do in this issue. A special edition will be dedicated to tourist farms and all those who have our local products on their menus.

We have to be aware that a diverse selection of products and services is necessary, but if we join our forces we can achieve much more, we might even make wonders.

I wish you a pleasant reading and cheers!

photo by Robert Ferjančič

Editor Mitja Tripković, BA in Sociology

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Katja Blagonja, Vipava Valley Wine Queen

“Wine is Like a Ball of Wool” Each year a new wine queen is being crowned at the Vipava Harvest Festival. Last year’s queen Lea Mlečnik handed over the crown to Katja Blagonje, a student of viticulture and enology. Queen Katja comes from a small village located among the Vipava Hills that bears the word wine in the name itself, the village of Zavino (vino meaning wine). The surrounding hills are “bathing in sunlight and revelling in the refreshing breeze” and the inhabitants of Zavino have been dedicated to winegrowing and winemaking since anyone can remember. immensely to the production of high-quality wine. We produce several wine types, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Robola, Muscat Blanc, Sauvignon and of course also the indigenous Zelen. Annually we produce between 15.000 and 20.000 litres of wine and our primary focus is on the production of fresh and aromatic young wines with fruit flavours.

We sell our wine to various wine shops, tourist farms, private customers and also directly from our wine cellar. We also give cellar tours and organize wine-tasting events, for bigger groups as well, but of course on prior announcement.

How do you put the knowledge gained at the faculty in practice?

Tell us a little about your farm, where your love for wine was probably born.

The love that marked your life path and consequently led you to the flattering title of the Vipava Valley Wine Queen.

Studying at the School for Viticulture and Enology of the University of Nova Gorica gives me a wide range of theoretical knowledge, which is much appreciated in practice. Understanding the final product, the wine, is not enough. It is necessary to understand each and every step of the

Our farm covers about three hectares of vineyards, some pasture and agricultural land as well as some forested areas. Regarding the farm chores we try to follow the motto ‘all for one and one for all’, which means that the work is divided among all of us and according to the time we have available. We also strive to be self-sufficient, which means that we produce our own food and store it for the winter. Thus, we are provided with home-grown food throughout the entire year, whether it is vegetable, meat products, fruit or other.

Our main agricultural activity is by all means winegrowing and winemaking.

Southern hilly areas, plenty of sunlight, light wind and marly soil all contribute

At a wine event with a glass of Pinella in the village of Planina

winemaking process, namely the cultivation, winegrowing, processing, marketing and selling. To understand wine as a whole, we must not forget the sommelier’s aspect of the wine as well. However, we all know that a good theoretical basis is essential for evident results in practice.

Would you recommend this programme to other young ladies from the Valley?

Yes, I highly recommend it! Wine is like a ball of wool, which you have to unfold first, if you want to knit a sweater. Studying at the School for Viticulture and Enology definitely gives a good basis for everyone who is fond of wines and the entire wine industry.

Tell us something about the wine you’ve chosen to be the Queen’s Wine. Has the sale gone up? Do you have enough of it on stock?

For the Queen’s Wine I’ve chosen Sauvignon 2011 from our own cellar. The reason for my choice is in its complex structure, its

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

enticing flower bouquet and rich flavour.

It offers an adventure of fruit flavours and spicy aromas with a touch of grass flowers, and despite its rich structure it enchants you with its freshness and youth.

The wine is well balanced and if you take the time, you will see what the wine has to offer. Although the demand has increased, we manage to meet the needs of all our customers.

that I realized that the saying ‘there is no place like home’ really holds true. Indeed priceless were also the events at which all the Slovenian wine queens met and joined forces in the wine promotion. Personally, I found especially interesting the conversations with winemakers and I have immense respect for those winemakers who are willing to share their experience and knowledge.

The better part of your ‘reign’ is behind you. How did you spend it? What were you engaged in? When was it most busy?

Does the ‘reigning’ take a lot of your time? What do you do when not ‘reigning’?

If I look back, I can say, that my reign was full of wonderful experiences, pleasant gatherings and interesting visits to various wine regions. I promote wines produced in the Vipava Valley at various events and I try to spread the name of the Vipava Valley across the entire Slovenia.

Each event has left me with an unforgettable memory. The most unusual, yet original, event was by all means the wine route leading through the tunnels under the town of Kranj. Most busy was around St. Martin’s Day, when I had events scheduled one after another. The feasts of St. Martin’s Day in our Valley have truly a special place in my heart, since it was then

Regarding the time, it’s the same as if you would ask a passionate chef, if all the cooking takes a lot of his time. Of course, there is less time left for other things, but I wouldn’t have changed my decision not even for a bit. It is an experience, which has a lot to offer, how much of the offered I take, it’s in a way my personal choice. So, ultimately it’s up to me, how much time do I devote to my ‘reigning’. If I do find any free time, I spend it with my friends or go hiking to the hills in the Tolmin area.

I also like cooking and baking as well as writing.

What do people expect from the Wine Queen?

Although people’s expectations are very diverse, one common to them all is the promotion of the wines and winemakers from the Vipava Valley and of the Valley itself. Some have special requests which are often quite amusing. Once someone wanted me to ride a horse in my official dress and on another occasion I was asked to serve wine from a lifted chair carried

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I hand over my crown, I will definitely not be bored.

The Vipava Valley Wine Queen is truly committed to her mission. In her spare time she writes poetry about wine. Below is one of her poems dedicated to her Majesty, the wine.

WINE IS The softness of blistered hands, the respect of tired eyes, the sound of a hard-working man, the dedication of a commited man.

The velvet of heavy worries, the heart in love with kisses, the support of strength weakend, the bonds of a nation divided. by young fellows. I was even suggested to serve wine to athletes before their competitions, so they could drink the toast during the national anthem.

perceived role overlap the reality.

Do the winemakers make good use of the Wine Queens status?

Study commitments and personal wishes complement one another to a great extent.

My plans for the future are closely connected to wine and winemaking. In October and November I am taking a course on terroir and sustainable winegrowing and winemaking at the Lycée Bel-Air in France, which hopefully will help me to finish my studies and obtain a degree. I also plan to get into the sommelier field, for which I will also have to take quite a few seminars and courses. So, even when

I have to say they do and they are quite good at it. They try to make the most of this status through various events, visits, promotions and other activities. After all, the status of the Vipava Valley Wine Queen title is an opportunity for me and for the winemakers, but to get the maximum from this status, we have to join our forces and work together.

You words at your coronation in Vipava: “As the new Vipava Valley Wine Queen I will strive to gather all villages and people, all our customs and traditions, and assemble them into one magnificent mosaic of the Vipava Valley. I wish our Valley becomes a place, to which visitors will keep coming back!” Did your wish come true?

Certainly, those wishes are still much alive in me and I endeavour to make them a reality. However, I realize these wishes take time and are achievable in the long run. It’s like long-distance running. After a year only a kilometre is behind us, but I am convinced we will make it through the finish line.

Do your expectations match the reality of the Wine Queen role?

Yes, my expectations and the actual role of the Wine Queen go hand in hand. The

What are your plans when your ‘reign’ ends?

The spices of exquisite tastes, the fusion of glittering colours, the labyrinth of test in smelling, the part of life selling.

The arrival of foreign mentality, the fall of emotional depth, the release of mental maturity the loss of physical height.

The reflection of secret acts, the mirror of a man’s mind, the quay in a turbulent sea, the impact of profound words.

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Ljubljana Residents Now Correctly Pronounce Zelen

Pinella Wine Also in Zelen Consortium Vipavec Wine Under Protection The Zelen wine (usually with an indication indigenous variety) has a special meaning in the Vipava Valley. Zelen was on the verge of extinction on the account of numerous other fashionable grape varieties, but fortunately, a sudden twist in the farmers’ mindset made it a popular wine type. The overflooded wine market forced the farmers to return to their roots, their heritage and the tradition of their ancestors. A big help was the ‘revived’ issue of Matija Vrtovec’s book Vinoreja, writen in 1844. The author stressed the importance of Zelen for the Vipava Valley, as it gives delicious grapes and wine with “an especially noble aroma”.

However, the revival of Zelen had a long way ahead. Original grapevines for grafts needed to be found, adequate grounds needed to be prepared, correct planting needed to be specified and an expert consensus on the ‘right’ Zelen needed to be established. On the account of all these problems and dilemmas the Zelen Consortium was established in 2003.

measure it, but we are certain that the situation without the Consortium would be a lot worse than it already is. Winegrowing in the Vipava Valley is at a standstill, vineyards are shrinking, the situation in Slovenian is poor, each day is a struggle. But we are lucky enough to struggle with local, indigenous varieties. The competition on this market is not as fierce as on the market with other fashionable wine varieties.”

be carried out this year or at the latest the next. Vipavec wine could open an interesting market niche and is, from a historical point of view, an established name that deserves our attention. Vipavec is a blend of various wine varieties typical for the Vipava Valley in various combinations, namely of Pinella, Zelen, Malvasia, Robola and Welschriesling.

In addition to all that, we are also planning to protect the Vipavec wine.”

Are all the producers of Zelen members of the Consortium?

Do members observe the rules of the Consortium?

“In my opinion, two thirds of all the winegrowers that produce Zelen or have it on the market are members of the Consortium.

Some of the members produce Zelen only for their own needs. The Consortium agreed to give proper attention to the Pinella wine as well, which is also an indigenous variety.

In the Valley Zelen grape spreads over 50 to 60 hectares of land, whereas Pinella is a bit more widespread variety. We also plan to revive the Vipavec wine project, which will

“Some winegrowers sell Zelen also on tap, but not via the Consortium. In our opinion, Zelen should be on the market only in bottles and only in special Consortium bottles.

We feel very strongly about this. Some winemakers, however, bottle Zelen in their own bottles.”

Well, at least something has definitely changed for the better in these years: the pronunciation of the word Zelen with a

“The Consortium comprises the producers of Zelen from the municipalities of Ajdovščina and Vipava. Historically this region is the home of the Zelen wine. The main purpose of the Consortium at its establishment was and still is the quality control, promotion and cooperation in marketing. It is hard to assess the effectiveness of the Consortium, because there are no reliable indicators to

photo by MIha Bratina

Did the Consortium proved effective in relation to the purpose, for which it was established? This was our first question to Franc Premrn, the chairman of the Zelen Consortium and the winemaker from the village of Orehovica.

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Member List Branko Furlan

+386 (0)41 728 587 Zavino 33

5295 Branik

Srečko Marc

+386 (0)41 698 566 Slap 24

5271 Vipava

Franc Premrn

+386 (0)41 745 020 Orehovica 11

5272 Podnanos

Anton Petrič

+386 (0)41 830 777 Planina 56

5270 Ajdovščina

Tomaž Božič

+386 (0)41 822 029 Planina 32

5270 Ajdovščina

Stojan Trošt

+386 (0)41 594 285 Slap 72

5271 Vipava

Jurij Žorž

+386 (0)41 698 556 Slap 13

5271 Vipava

Bojan Potočnik

+386 (0)41 718 501 Orehovica 24 A

5272 Podnanos

Pavlo Žorž

+386 (0)41 551 105 Slap 15

5271 Vipava

Samuel Poljšak

+386 (0)41 441 001 Gradišče pri Vipavi 39

5271 Vipava

Martin Krapež

+386 (0)40 219 500 Vrhpolje 95

5271 Vipava

Jordan Cigoj

+386 (0)5 63 66 009 Črniče 91

5262 Črniče

Klemen Ušaj

+386 (0)41 455 386 Črniče 56

5262 Črniče

Agroind Vipava

+386 (0)5 36 71 200 Vinarska cesta 5

5271 Vipava

Franc Andlovic

+386 (0)41 708 087 Gradišče pri Vipavi 39

5271 Vipava

Zmago Petrič

+386 (0)41 616 091 Planina 111

5270 Ajdovščina

Primož Lavrenčič +386 (0)4 1363 272 Podraga 31

5272 Podnanos

Peter Ferjančič

+386 (0)41 834 013 Planina 73

5270 Podnanos

Primož Šušmelj

+386 (0)41 583 955 Erzelj 22

5271 Vipava

Dušan Sulič

+386 (0)41 312 865 Oševljek 20

5292 Renče

The Consortium adopted two quite strict sets of regulations that control the growing of grapes and the production of wine. Zelen requires typical winegrowing areas: sloping terrain, sun and wind exposure, warm climate and medium heavy soil with good aeration and free drainage. The training method is not strictly prescribed, but it should enable small or moderate grapevine bud charge. Maximum bud charge at winter pruning is 18 buds per metre or 15 shoots in the vegetation period. Before the grapes start to ripe, it is necessary to remove the third grape cluster from each shoot. The maximum yield is 3 kg per vine or 10 tons per hectare. The minimum level of sugar is 75 °Oe or 18.1 °Brix, though the wine should not exceed 12.5 vol. % of natural alcohol, when the typical character of the wine is still possible to be maintained. Destemming is obligatory and the prescribed maceration method enables the maximum extraction of aromatic substances.

stress on the second e. This, of course, refers to the country’s inland.

are actually typical for the growing of Zelen in the Vipava Hills.”

“Fortunately, yes. It was a long and arduous battle.”

How about the grafts? Are they easy to obtain?

Zelen is a signature sign of the trademark Pasji Rep, under which you launched your wines.

“Lately, the local vine varieties are becoming very popular. The grafts need to be ordered in the cutting nurseries in time, especially the drought-resistant grafts.”

Your wine cellar in Orehovica is known to be a very interesting and hospitable place.

“Slowly, we are expanding our farm and our activities. We are building a new wine-tasting room for about 20 guests and we rented

photo by MIha Bratina

“The Pasji Rep Farm comprises 4,000 vines of Zelen, plus 3,000 additional ones that we’ve planted this year. This gives altogether 7,000 litres of wine, which means 5,000 to 6,000 bottles. Zelen requires a single-cane training system at a height of 80 cm on east, southeast or southwest-facing slopes, which

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To obtain a certificate the wine has to reach 17.7 points on assessment. The control of the wine production is exercised by a committee, which each year thoroughly inspects all the vineyards.

The committee consists of Consortium members and a representative of the Nova Gorica Agriculture and Forestry Institute. a vineyard in Kunovica above the village of Orehovica. A big help is my son Samo, who decided to follow my winemaking steps.”

A while ago your new wine Jebačin (meaning fucker) caused quite a stir.

“A few years ago we bought a vacant house next door. Locally, the house was called At Jebačin’s. The name probably derives from the village of Senožeče and it might originally have also been Jelačin. Anyhow, we did not want the name to be forsaken and that is why, we named two of our wines after that house, namely White Jebačin and Red Jebačin (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon).

Unfortunately, problems with pronunciation occurred, but those who know us, also make an effort to pronounce it correctly.”

Is Pasji Rep staying the trademarkof your wines?

“Of course, it has become a well-established trademark!”

By Edo Pelicon

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Promotion of the Village in the Long Run

Vrhpolje – Duplje Wine Tourist Association How to Bring the Wine Shop Closer to People?

Usually, winegrowers and winemakers collaborate in professional associations, however, in the village of Vrhpolje they decided to establish a wine tourist association in order to promote the area as an important winegrowing and winemaking part of the Vipava Valley. Over a glass of wine we talked to the chairman of the association, Branko Tomažič, about the history, the role and the future plans of this unique organization. each year, which is very rewarding and encouraging.”

Between 200 and 400 people participate in these events, which is the maximum number of visitors they can host. “Every farm gives a personal note to its presentation. Usually it’s a home-made specialty (salami, pancetta, brawn, polenta) or something else to try, so that people don’t drink wine on an empty stomach. We plan to keep this element in our events.”

At first the association had 15 members, 15 winemakers from Vrhpolje. Almost all the winemakers, who were one way or the other present on the market. But, soon the number of members decreased: “Probably they thought they’ll have benefits from the association without much to put in.

But things don’t work this way. It turned out that effort and investments need to be made on a regular basis, volunteering is not enough. However, the vision of the association is a long-term one. Its purpose is the promotion of our area and the results can be seen only in the long run. Seven of us remained in the association, all of which are professional winemakers, and one new member joined, a small-scale winemaker from the village of Duplje (Nusdorfer). He feels excellent among us and we are happy of his membership as well.

The Association’s frist event was the celebration of St. Martin’s Day, which is part of the Open Cellars from Martin till Christmas Festival. The celebration taking part on Martin Saturday is not just about drinking local wines, but also about getting to know the village, its habits and traditions, its cultural activities and also its vaulted wine cellars and numerous arched entrances. All this during a pleasant walk through the village. For the last two years we organize one joint winetasting event with a professional guide, which is already included in the price. At this event each winemaker contributes three different bottled wines, the visitors, however, have also the opportunity to try three additional wines in each wine cellar on their walk through the village. We’ve noticed also that the percentage of young people among the visitors is increasing

The greatest challenge of the association is the Hike Through the Vrhpolje Vineyards taking place annually on the last Sunday in February. “The purpose of the Hike is to present the Vrhpolje surroundings to the visitors, but also to establish a thematic path along the magnificent canyon made by the Bela Torrent above the village.” Over thousands of years the torrent water chiselled out breathtaking gorges, pools and other natural phenomena. The canyon hasn’t been touched in the last fifty years, most occupied was, however, under the Italian occupation before the end of the Second World War, when people secretly distilled grape liquor there. “The project is already prepared, but has to wait for its turn, because first the village infrastructure needs to be repaired (sewage system etc.). We hope that eventually we will manage to collect the money. We keep our fingers crossed to get it from the EU.” This year the Hike was cancelled due to bad weather. It was not rescheduled either, because all the weekends were booked with other hikes. Thousands of people from everywhere were participating in some of the hikes. Do they keep coming back? “Yes, some of them do. This

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Winemakers, Association Members: Organist Wines: 8 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 366 54 57, +386 (0)31 425 154 NAFA (Škrljevina): 1 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 368 73 66, +386 (0)41 401 205, www.nafa.si Nusdorfer Wines: +386 (0)5 364 51 44, ++386 (0)41 485 056 Tomažič Farm:77 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 366 58 06, +386 (0)41 707 534, www.kmetija-tomazic.com Monvi: 31 Duplje, +386 (0)5 364 51 29, +386 (0)41 345 429, www. vina-monvi.si Krapež Wines: 95 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 368 71 10, +386 (0)40 219 500 MežnarFarm: 26 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 366 54 53, +386 (0)41 363 026 Aleš Žvokelj: 7 Vrhpolje, +386 (0)5 366 56 58, +386 (0)41 320 921

way a good name and reputation is being established. Probably on the account of our hikes we received eight buses of pharmacists and another six buses of the motorway company employees. Well, the entire marketing process is quite demanding, as people do not come on their own initiative.

We want people to talk and discuss about our village, even if they talk about the tanks rumbling through Vrhpolje in June 1991, about the Battle of the Frigid River in the Roman times, about the Emperor Theodosius, about the hanged partisans in the Second World War or about the bora wind.

However, the village of Vrhpolje is the

cradle of winegrowing in the Vipava Valley. This is the home of vine grafts!” It is a well-known fact, that when the vine louse destroyed most of the vineyards in the past, the vine grafts were first grown in this very village. The credit for this belongs to Matija Lavrenčič, a representative of the Provincial Assembly in Vienna, who struggled to keep winegrowing in the Valley alive.

The association often hosts renowned enologists and wine marketing experts.

The association members also make regu-

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lar visits to other winemakers, in Slovenia and abroad, where they explore the diversity of wines and seek for new ideas and practices. For example, they have already visited their colleagues in Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia.

A while ago the Association open a wine shop in the village!

“We were warming up to this idea for a long time. Some of the material for the shop has already been bought, but then we heard the Municipality plans to arrange facilities for the village community and all the village associations. We decided to put the wine shop project on hold and we do not regret this decision. It is the first village wine shop in the Vipava Valley and we should start to market it more aggressively.

Probably we should hire a retired person or a student, who would be at the shop and attend to the visitors. We simply do not have the time to be there day and night.

Although all of us have our own wine-tasting rooms at our farms, a common rom, the wine shop, is much easier to promote via various portals, media and events.”

Maybe you are too elitist or exclusive.

Why are there only eight of you in the association?

“No, our doors are wide open to new members. There are many associations in the village and the people join according to their interests. We work closely with all of the associations, for example, we donate wine for village fests and other events and to the firefighter association as well. Only together we can achieve something and fulfil our mission, our mission to make our

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013 decided to build a new wine cellar with a wine-tasting room for bigger parties. But, more on this in the fall, when this project will be finished and the doors will officially open.”

village recognizable as a wine village.”

A few words about your farm.

“The Tomažin Farm has always specialized in livestock breeding and winegrowing. In the last few years we expanded the farm from five hectares to ten hectares of vineyards, which we obtained from parttime and amateur farmers, who had given up winegrowing. We renewed three of the

five obtained hectares of vineyards. My father transferred the ownership of the farm to my son Nejc and due to the conditions of the Young Farmer Measure we plan to breed livestock for at least another five years. Nejc, who is an agronomist by profession and a keen farmer, decided to stay at the farm and take over the business.

I’ve been a full-time farmer for the past three years and altogether there are four of us on the farm. For business reasons we

And then, when Nejc, the young master of the house, fixed the lighting in one of the cellars, we toasted with a glass of Chardonnay. The wine took me by surprise. It had a mild, but noticeable finish which tickled my tastebuds. All puzzled I looked at the host. He smiled at me and explained: “The wine matured for a while in acacia barriques.” But I thought you disapprove of barrique wines! It says so even on your official website. “That’s true.

And I still think that wines ageing in barrique barrels are not characteristic of the Vipava Valley. The wood often covers the true essence of the wine and this fact has been pointed out also by foreign experts who analysed our authentic wines. However, we need to follow market trends and in Italy acacia barrique wines are a major hit at the moment, because the acacia wood gives an unusual note to the wine.

Well, in a way the people of the Vipava Valley are quite familiar with barrique wines. When they bought a new barrel, it definitely gave a woody aftertaste to the wine.”

By Edo Pelicon

Tip for a trip Take a trip out to the surrounding areas of the village of Vrhpolje. Your best choice is to take the route of the traditional Hike Through the Vrhpolje Vineyards, whereas you can take the entire circular route or just a part of it. The starting point of the trip is in the village of Vrhpolje at the fire station. The route leads through vineyards, past the village of Duplje to the famous Zemono Manor, the former summer residence of the Lanthieri family.

The Manor is surrounded with vineyards planted with Sauvignon vines which give the excellent Zemono wine.

The route continues towards Mt. Nanos where the Old Castle can be seen. The castle had been abandoned for more than 500 years, but it still radiates its mightiness and grandeur. The route turns to north, later descends to Vrhpolje and con-

The route of the Hike Through the Vrhpolje Vineyards leads also past the ruins of the mighty castle rising over the town of Vipava.

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FURLAN Farm tinues along the Bela Torrent. Along the way you can see mills, forges and beautiful river pools, namely Kotel, Sklečka, Korita, Tekc and Hudičev Stolček (Devil’s Stool). According to folk tradition the devil himself pushed the rock into the torrent where a pool and a popular swimming site emerged.

Up the gorge a mighty wall stands proudly, which was carved out by the torrent water over thousands of years and left priceless footprints of the turbulent history. Next to the wall a natural pool Krnica is located, which is a popular swimming area of the local youth. Along the route a renowned climbing wall rises up from the torrent bed. The wall is world-famous and is a popular tourist attraction of numerous visitors from throughout Europe. The wall is especially interesting in the winter due to the favourable climatic conditions.

The route diverts away from the Bela Torrent and leads you high above the village to the Pšava clearing, from where you can enjoy in the breathtaking view of the Valley and the surrounding vineyards. Ruins of a small monastery can be seen along the way, where the Capuchin monks had been producing wine before anyone can remember.

The route descends to the village past the Church of St. Acacius and several vine-

yards, which due to its optimum location give the best grape for the most exquisite wines.

The route is moderate with slight ascents and descents. It leads along field paths and cart tracks and is not dependant on the season. Hiking boots are a must. The duration of the trip at a swift pace is 3 to 4 hours.

Name: Branko Furlan Address: 33 Zavino, 5295 Branik Phone: +386 (0)5 30 57 101 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 728 587 E-Mail: branko@furlan.org Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella T B - Zelen T B - Vitovska Grganja T B - Chardonnay T B - Sauvignon T B - Malvasia T - Robola T - Muskat Blanc T B - Barbera T - Cabernet Sauvignon T B - White Blend T Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours T – on tap, B – bottled

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Istrian Awards for Malvasia

At the Ušaj Farm in Črniče Big Hopes for Orange Wines

Ušaj Wines – USSAI Name: Stojan Ušaj Address: 56 Črniče, 5262 Črniče Phone: +386 (0)5 36 66 075 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 518 171 E-Mail: ussai@siol.com Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Zelen T B - Sauvignon T B - Malvasia T B - Robola T B - Pinot Gris T B - Rose B - Merlot T B - Cabernet Sauvignon T B - Sparkling wine B - Malvasia Dulcis (made from dried grapes) B - White blend T B - Red blend T B Trademark: Ussai Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting, grape sale T – on tap, B – bottled

Stojan, Klemen and Davorin Ušaj

Who knows, when and what urged a man named Ussai to leave the far Sardinia (or maybe even Corsica) and to settle here in our region. Nowadays Ušaj is a fairly common surname in the village of Črniče. On one of the houses along the main road leading through the village is still a visible sign of a former Ušaj Tavern. However, the Ušaj Farm we are presenting in this article is located under the Church of St. Vitus. The owner of the farm is still Stojan Ušaj, who is most at home in the vineyards, while the winemaking part of the business is the domain of his two sons, Klemen and Davorin.

With the latter we had a long chat about their farm and their wines.

The Ušaj Farm covers five hectares of vineyards on ten different locations, which from the logistic aspect can create some problems. On the other hand, it can also be an advantage, because different grape varieties thrive on different grounds and soil.

Thus, some vineyards grow on marly soil, others on clay soil. Despite a great number of vines (approximately 20,000) the total quantity of wine the Ušaj Farm produces is fairly modest, only about 12,000 litres.

Of course, they pursue for quality and not quantity. So as for example, two Malvasia vines fill only one wine bottle. This approach is quite the opposite as it was in

the past, when winegrowers processed all the grapes a vine bore and grape thinning was almost a sin. I turned to Stojan: “Yes, but back then, the wine had only 9.5 vol. % of alcohol. Well, times have changed and I had to adapt.” Now, some Malvasia wines reach over 14 vol. % of alcohol.

The story, how the Ušaj Family got into winemaking business is quite typical. At first they planted a few vineyards with the then fashionable red varieties, because they wanted to earn a little extra on the side by selling grapes to the agricultural cooperative. But because the payments of the Vipava Wine Cellar started to come late, the family decided to produce some wine at home. The more the payments were late and modest, less grapes they sold to the cooperative and the more wine they produced at home.The turning point of their winemaking business probably represented the jubilee year of 2000, when Klemen and Davorin decided to send a sample of their wine to the assessment. To everyone’s surprise, their Cabernet Sauvignon achieved the highest score among the Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the Littoral.

This official recognition, not just the praises and compliments of their friends and acquaintances, gave them confidence and further encouragement. They knew they had

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the right approach and touch for wines and winemaking. They started taking classes and seminars on winemaking, attended various wine-tasting and other wine events and gathered knowledge and new ideas. In 2006 they started to bottle their wines under their own trademark and thus entered a more demanding wine market.

The Ušaj brothers started to produce orange wines. Among all the varieties, Malvasia and Robola are most suitable for a prolonged maceration, which is never shorter than three weeks in the Ušaj wine cellar. Usually it lasts an entire month.

Malvasia and Robola orange wines are being aged in oak barrels, in a similar manner than Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and their red blend, which makes all these wines rich and strong. The unique orange colour of the Malvasia wine and its distinctiveness is truly impressive. The excellence of the wine is confirmed also by two awards the wine has recently received. It won a silver award at the competition of Malvasia wines in the town of Poreč in Croatia, despite the fact the global trend dictates fresh notes in Malvasia wines. Moreover, Ušaj’s Malvasia won the first award at the wine competition Sommelier of Slovenia 2013 in the town of Izola, Slovenia, in the category of Malvasia wines with residual sugar.

However, they preserved the fresh notes in their Sauvignon and Pinot Gris. Thus, their selection of wines is well rounded and meets the wishes of a wide range of customers. A bit unusual in their selection is the wine Zelen, which is usually the domain of the Upper Vipava Valley. “Not exactly, the Zelen vine thrives excellently here and gives the characteristic Zelen wine. Some say Zelen wine is even better if grown on richer soil,” explains Stojan.

The young winemakers set to make also sparkling wine, which is doing quite well on the Italian market. The majority of wines though is being sold on the Slovenian market. The sale of their bottled wines is increasing and their customers are pre-

dominantly restaurants and wine shops.

Wine on tap, however, is being sold to caterers, bars and private customers. The Ušaj farm is tempted by the eastern market as well, namely Russia, Estonia and other countries.

The Ušaj Farm was settled by their ancestors from the village of Ravne in 1930s.

Previously it was owned by a wealthy landowner and thus expands over a great area. The wine cellar consists of two parts, namely of a part with wooden barrels and of a part with inox tanks, divided by racks of bottled wine. As an addition to the wine cellar, a wine-tasting room is currently under construction. “The room will be big enough to host parties of 10 to 12 people. When we collect enough financial resources, we also plan to build guest rooms and maybe a suite above the wine cellar.

Moreover, we also think of extending our activities to the culinary sector. We want the visitors to get the whole package, because winemaking and tourism go hand in hand,” said Davorin.

The official Wine Route sign says the Ušaj Farm primarily engages in fruit-growing.

Winemaking is according to the sign their secondary activity. Despite this fact they plan to give fruit-growing up. “The peaches didn’t work out as we had planned. It was always something, whether it was frost or some other distress. In 15 years of peachgrowing we did not cover our initial investment in this project.” The only exception is chestnut-growing. The demand for chestnuts is enormous, especially in the capital.

The Ussai trademark caused quite a stir among the people. “I personally think

the controversy regarding our trademark name is excessive. The conversation often revolves around this subject, when it should be focused on the quality of our wines,” commented Davorin.

“I instantly liked the name with the double S instead of the original Š. Today I might think twice before deciding on this name again.” But we all know the marketing rule: there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

Therefore, it’s good, if people talk about it.

“Again, we work primarily on quality. We strive that all the processes are correctly carried out and we try to make as few mistakes as possible.And if they do occur, we learn from them. We do a lot of research, conduct new experiments and make the best of everything. And we are well aware that there’s always room for improvement.”

Stojan Ušaj does the majority of the work in the vineyards, as the sons don’t have much time. They both have regular jobs and their workdays often exceed eight hours. The Ušajs adopted a single-cane training system, but at a height of about a meter, which is a bit higher than is usual.

Stojan hates bending so low, but he doesn’t grumble, because he knows, they’re on the right tracks. “Our father can’t manage all the work on his own anymore. One of us will probably have to stay home and help out, maybe even both of us.”

The Ušaj brothers are full of youthful enthusiasm. They strongly believe in their work and are truly dedicated to wine and winemaking. We will certainly hear a lot about them and their wines in the future.

By Edo Pelicon

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Combination of Experience and Youthful Zest

Zelen by the Petrič Winery – Protocol White Wine Preserving Old Winemaking and Winegrowing Traditions Each year the Municipality of Ajdovščina chooses one white and one red local wine for its protocol and ceremonial activities. These wines help guests and visitors of the municipal events to realize how rich our winegrowing region is and contribute to the promotion of the local winegrowing and winemaking industry. This year, both protocol wines representing the Ajdovščina winegrowing area come from the village of Planina, namely Zelen by the Petrič Winery and Merlot by the Ferjančič Estate.

PETRIČ Winery Name: Lucija Koren Address: 56 Planina, 5270 Ajdovščina Phone: +386 (0)5 36 42 537 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)40 864 113, +386 (0)40 501 348 E-Mail: kletarstvo.petric@gmail. com Website: www.vas-planina.si/si/ petric.php Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella T B - Zelen T B - Cabernet Sauvignon T B - Pinot Noir T B - White blend T B - Red blend T Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours T – on tap, B – bottled

All winemakers who bottle their wine have been invited to the competition for protocol wines. Ten winemakers entered the competition with 24 white and red wines.

The selection was made by the expert committee of the Nova Gorica Agriculture and Forestry Institute consisting of the institute chairman Tamara Rusjan and other members, namely Mirjana Košuta, Ivan Žežlina, Andreja Škvarč and Matjaž Lemut. Darja Marc from the Ajdovščina Agriculture Advisory Service provided the technical support.

The committee stated the winemakers from the Municipality of Ajdovščina produce excellent and high-quality wines.

The majority of wines achieved top ratings, also both wines the committee suggested for protocol wines.

First we paid a visit to the Petrič Winery and tried the white protocol wine, Zelen 2012. The wine is fermented and aged in wooden barrels. It is dry, has a golden colour with greenish hues and a rich bouquet characteristic for this wine type, its flavour, however, is fresh and harmonic.

The grapes for this wine were grown on two different locations: In a vineyard with a richer soil in Planina and on marly terraces above the Novak Mill on the bank of the Vipava River. The vaulted wine cellar typical for the Vipava Valley full of wooden barrels gives a special charm to the winetasting and the wine itself. Their wine cellar is 130 years old, although the year 1843 carved into the stone vault above the

entrance into the cellar indicates it might be even older. “In 1843 the original house was built, the cellar was built later,” explains Lucija Koren, the head of the Petrič Farm. “Although I took my husband’s last name Koren, we decided to keep the original name of the Petrič Farm in our trademark name (Petrič Winery). In this way we preserved the recognisable name and traditions of our ancestors,” explains the young winemaker. Her husband Andrej Koren moved to the farm and although he grew up in the town of Ajdovščina, where only a handful of vines are being grown, he quickly adapted to the rural life and

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in their own bottles. They also reckon the protocol wine competition will contribute to a greater recognisability of their trademark. “The Municipality purchased 100 bottles of Zelen and another 300 litres of wine on tap, which still rests in our tanks.

We provide the bottles, the Municipality provides the labels,” added Andrej.

The Petrič Farm covers four hectares of vineyards. “We are an average-sized winegrowing farm in the Vipava Valley,” says Tone, which means that they can do all the farm work by themselves without hiring help, except when harvesting grape.

All their vineyards are situated on the typical winegrowing terrain: slopy and sun-exposed, and their selection of grape varieties is tailored to the ground composition and soil.

We had a glass of Zelen and then a glass of their Pinella, which thrives excellently on the Planina slopes. On our cellar tour we also tried a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, which showed a great potential of the ambitious Petrič Farm. A combination of great experiences and youthful zest is definitely a winning one.

By Edo Pelicon

is looking forward to the winegrowing and winemaking challenges. Of course, he works under a close supervision of his father-in-law Tone, who handed over his farm to the young and enthusiastic couple.

Despite their youth, they try to follow the old winegrowing and winemaking customs and traditions. The right pruning system, little spraying and the gentle winegrower’s touch is the recipe for healthy and high-quality grapes. Their wine matures in big wooden barrels in the cellar. After a while they decant it into stainless metal tanks located a floor above the cellar.

There the wine waits to be bottled or sold on tap. “About a half of the wine is being sold in bottles,” says Andrej and swirls the glass with their protocol wine. “Last year’s

Zelen contains less acid on the account of drought. Maybe this was the decisive factor that won us the flattering title at the competition for protocol wines.” “Well, not all Zelen wines are the same. Even those grown in the nearby village of Slap have some distinct notes. A lot depends also on the location of the vineyard and the soil itself. The best Zelen grows in the vicinity of water springs,” said Tone, who used to be a member of the Zelen Consortium committee and had the opportunity to examine quite a lot of Zelen vineyards. This year the Petrič Winery (temporarily) withdrew from the Consortium. “Some say, Zelen bottled in the Consortium prescribed bottles is selling well, well, ours didn’t.” For this reason they decided to bottle Zelen

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Protocol Red Wine – Merlot

Wide Selection of Wines on the Ferjančič Estate Foreigners Interested in the Stories Behind the Covers Also the red protocol wine was made in the village of Planina, more precisely on the Ferjančič Estate. Actually, the wine has its origins in the village of Slap. The Merlot grapes were grown nearby the Majerija House in Slap, where the Ferjančič family rented 1.7 hectares of vineyards a few years ago. flavours are so diverse, rich and intoxicating you get lost among them. The reason is in his abundant selection of wines, which is truly impressive. Maybe it is too wide, as the winemaker needs to have enough of the necessary equipment and space. He needs enough barrels and tanks, he needs to watch over every process of each individual wine, he needs to take care of the wine storage, he needs to deal with the marketing activities and the distribution of smaller wine quantities, not to mention the bottling equipment and the bottling process. This is the cue for our conversation with Peter, who knows all the principles of winegrowing and winemaking, all the tricks and all the secrets.

FERJANČIČ Estate Name: Peter Ferjančič Address: 73 Planina, 5270 Ajdovščina Phone: +386 (0)5 36 89 055 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 834 013 E-Mail: vina@ferjancic.si Website: www.ferjancic.si Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella B - Zelen B - Sauvignon T B - Chardonnay T B - Muscat Blanc B - Rose B - Merlot B - Cabernet Sauvignon T B - Sania (from dried grapes) B - White blend: Fino belo B Trademark: Ferjančič Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting T – on tap, B – bottled

The protocol Merlot is of course a dry wine. It matured in oak barrels for two long years under a watchful winemaker’s eye. The wine hasan intensive pomegranate red colour with ruby hues. Its bouquet reminds of wild berries and dried prunes with a finish of vanilla and roasted coffee.

Soft and well-rounded tannins give the wine its fullness and elegance.

This is the description of the wine written by the committee for protocol wines and says it all. Nothing can be added or taken away. However, when a wine lover enters Peter Ferjančič’s wine cellar, he soon runs out of all the adjectives, metaphors and comparisons. The aromas and

“There’s always room for new grape varieties in the vineyard, but not in the cellar.

I did think of reducing the number of wine types, but I couldn’t decide which ones.

Pinella and Zelen are a must in our region.

They are the king and the queen of the Vipava Valley, the essence of winemaking. I personally am impressed by Chardonnay,

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were travelling through the Soča Valley and had a bottle of our Zelen in the Žogica Tavern in the town of Solkan. They were so impressed by the wine, that they paid us a visit here in Planina. They bought a great number of Zelen and Pinella bottles and interestingly they were interested only in our indigenous wines and haven’t even looked at the other wine types. They were eager to hear the stories behind the wine covers. They wanted our personal touch and individual notes.”

which grown on the rich grounds of the Planina slopes boasts an exceptional character. Sauvignon is the major global trend in every aspect, Muscat Blanc is a unique wine type and has its loyal followers. And the women love it as well. The same goes for Rose. And you cannot be a winemaker without Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon!

Our exquisite delicacy, our specialty, our desert, is Sania – wine made from dried grapes of Robola and Muscat Blanc. We do not have Malvasia or Barbera and we make just a sample of some other wine types. In the future we will probably focus on wine blends. For now we make a white blend called Fino Belo (Fine White), which was mixed on the 200th anniversary of our farm (Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Zelen).

My youngest son Alex actually named the wine. He dipped a finger in the glass, licked it and cried out ‘fine’.”

Your daughter Sanja has her own wine and your youngest son Alex also in a way.

What about your eldest son Domen, who is most actively engaged in the work at the farm?

“We constantly research, experiment and look for new stories. Last year we launched a little experiment. We harvested five grape varieties at the same time, which got mixed already in the vineyard.

We made wine from the mixed grapes and left it aging for five days on wine lees.

Maybe a Domen wine will turn out from that, who knows.”

Don’t Peter and Anica also get their own wine? Probably you don’t need it. You and your extraordinary energy, communica-

tive character and determined diligence are your trademark and you farm’s signature. There is a lot to do on the farm.

Their vineyards stretch over six hectares of land and comprise 27,000 vines. Besides the work in the vineyards and in the cellar, there’s also a lot of work with the marketing, the customers, the fairs and other events. It takes eight hours alone to spray all the vineyards and the spraying material with tractor fuel cost 500 euros.

On top of all the work, they started a new project. They tore down the old outbuilding and started building a new winetasting room with a kitchen, a small wine cellar and sanitary facilities. This will give them the option of hosting a busload of guests at the same time. They receive visits also from individuals and foreigners, even tourists from Israel. “A few days ago we hosted guests from Finland. They

The Ferjančič Farm boasts a 200-year-old winegrowing tradition and already Peter’s father worked with 5,000 vines. After giving up livestock breeding the Ferjančič Farm gradually renewed and built new vineyards. Above the wine cellar with wooden barrels they built a cellar with inox tanks and a room for winemaking, bottling and other work. Officially Anica is a full-time farmer for quite a while, now, after the construction company Primorje went bankrupt, Peter is too. He is a mechanical engineer by profession and he often worked late hours. When did he find the time to spray the vineyards? “I did it at night,” he answered and smiled.

To conclude our interview: how is this year’s harvest shaping up? “The vines flowered very late this year, but now they finally caught their rhythm. Some flowers of some grape varieties fell off, but I’m not concerned at all. On this account the grapes will be larger and they’ll give more juice. Some grapes are already very large, some are as large as the last year’s grapes in the harvesting time, which were unusually small due to severe drought. Well, laso this year the drought didn’t spare us and some rain would do the vines good.”

By Edo Pelicon

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Satisfied With What They Have

Švagelj Winery from Štanjel Descend from the Štanjel Castle, cross the main road and continue along the road in the same direction towards the village of Kobjeglava. At the end of the village of Štanjel, at the sign, turn right and continue for a few hundred metres along the road. And there it is, the Švagelj Winery, at the address 152 Štanjel.

ŠVAGELJ Winery Name: Ivo Švagelj Address: 152 Štanjel, 6222 Štanejl Mobile Phone: +386 (0)31 317 047 E-Mail: ivo.svagelj@gmail.com Winegrowing Region: Karst Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Karst Wine Road Wine Types: - Teran RTD T B - Chardonnay T B - Vitovska Grganja T B T – on tap, B – bottled

Their vineyard is not far from the farm and comprises 6,000 grape vines, of course for Teran wine. The 15-year-old vineyard is located on a flat terrain and has recently been renewed and enlarged. Everyone can see from afar that the winegrower spent numerous hours in the vineyard, cultivating vines with great love and care.

Ivo Švagelj has been retired for a year now and says: “It’s much easier now that I’m retired. I have all day at my disposal.

However, without the help of my family and friends during the grape harvest I could have never managed it.”

The Švagelj wine cellar is cooled and built in an elegant and modern style. In addition to the Teran wine with a recognized traditional denomination, his cellar keeps also Chardonnay and Vitovska Grganja, the latter being also an indigenous wine variety. The majority of the wine is being sold on tap to anyone who stops by and rings the bell. However, it’s best if you call Ivo’s cell phone on the following number: +386 (0)31 317 047, especially if you’d like

to buy a greater quantity of bottled wine.

“Of course, we have to keep pace with the times. We launched our own label a few years ago and started to bottle wines. A neat and elegant bottle of wine can be as a nice gift, it is easier to store it in the refrigerator and it looks better if the wine is served from a bottle,” explained Ivo. He has no plans of extending his offer or enlarging the vineyards, despite the fact that each year he sells all the wine he has on stock. “We are satisfied with what we have,” said Ivo and we believe, this is the right way.

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Mighty vaulted wine cellar in Podbreg

VIDUS Name: Janko Ivan Trošt Address: 24 Podbreg 24, 5272 Podnanos Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 401 204 E-Mail: janko@vina-vidus.si, vina.trost@gmail.com Website: www.vina-vidus.si Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Zelen B - Rose B - Barbera B - Sparkling wine (traditional method, Barbera, Rose) B - White blend: Vidus B - Red blend: Vidus B Trademark: Vidus Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting, gift programme T – on tap, B – bottled

Janko Trošt at the Flavours of the Vipava Valley Festival, the wine and culinary festival, in Zemono

New vineyard above the Pasji Rep estates

photos by www.vina-vidus.si

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ŠTRANCAR Winery Name: Aljoša Štrancar Address: 20 a Planina, 5270 Ajdovščina Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 901 228 E-Mail: vino.strancar@gmail.com Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella B - Robola T - Sauvignon T B - Rose B - White blend: Zo’vrh T B - Red blend: Zo’vrh T B Trademark: ŠtranCar wines Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting, grape sale

T – on tap, B – bottled

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Quality and Diversity over Quantity

Kralj – Škrk Farm The village of Kobdilj is situated at the crossroads of three roads which lead to the towns of Nova Gorica, Sežana and Vipava. In the village centre a picturesque Karst image awaits you: a typical house with a vaulted entrance leading to a courtyard and a hearthroom which is a true gem of the Karst architecture. A hearthroom or ‘spahnjenca’ is an external extension to the house with a fireplace and a chimney. This is the home of the Kralj–Škrk Farm.

KRALJ – ŠKRK Farm Name: Zdravko Kralj Address: 22 Kobdilj, 6222 Štanjel Phone: +386 (0)5 76 90 160 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 695 677 E-Mail: zdravko.kralj@siol.net Winegrowing Region: Karst Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Karst Wine Road Alcoholic Beverages: - Teran T B - Chardonnay T B - Teran Sparkling Wine B - Chardonnay Sparkling Wine B - Teran Liqueur B - Brandy B - other liqueurs B Trademark: Kraljeva penina (only for sparkling wines) Additional Offer: beverage tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting T – on tap, B – bottled

The year 1730 carved into a stone wall bears witness of the venerable age of the farm, though the farmengages in winegrowing and winemaking for 200 years which can also be seen on the wine press from the year 1821. In 1980 the farm renewed its vineyards and planted 2,000 additional Chardonnay vines, in 2000 when the head of the farm retired they planted 6.000 additional vines for Teran wine. In addition to the Teran wine (bottled or on tap), the Kralj-Škrk Farm produces also Teran sparkling wine sold under its own trademark Kraljeva penina.

“Our customers and visitors are offered the things that our rough Karst soil gives us. Not just wine, we make also grape brandy, Teran liqueur and twenty other types of liqueur. For example liqueur made from rose petals, juniper berries, herbs and other product of the nature. We work closely with our neighbour Erik Modic, who is in the accommodation business.

He rents rooms and suites and the majority of his guests come from Germany. The word of mouth spreads quickly, thus our visitors come from all over the world. We

never know who will visit us next. So, it’s a good thing we speak English, German and Italian. We are very satisfied with the business, because so far we’ve always sold everything we had on stock,” commented Zdravko Kralj.

Zdravko was in the middle of work when we dropped by for an interview. He is building an independent guest house on the farm estate which is expected to be done by the end of this year. He has no plans of expanding the vineyards and reveals us his philosophy: “Quality and diversity is more important than quantity.

And we pursue only these two goals.”

When in the village of Kobdilj, pay a visit to the nearby village of Štanjel which is just a five-minute walk away. Take also a close look at the birth houses of the famous architect Max Fabiani and the influential bishop and theologian Anton Mahnič. There’s also a First World War cemetery in the village which is definitely worth seeing.

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View from the hamlet of Sveti Martin to the village of Brje

SVETI MARTIN Name: Boža Stegovec Address: 121 Brje, 5263 Dobravlje Phone: +386 (0)5 30 57700 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 369 633 E-Mail: peter@vinasvetimartin.si Website: www.svetimartin.si Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: VipavaWine Road Wine Types: - Zelen B - Pinella B - Robola B - Rose B - Barbera B - Merlot B - Sparkling Wine B - Klarnica Passito B - Red Passito B - White blend T B - Red blend T B Trademark: Sveti Martin Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours T – on tap, B – bottled

New vineyard nearby the hamlet of Sveti Martin

Peter Stegovec at the festival of Pinella wines in the village of Planina

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Name: Benedikt Kobal Address: 30 Budanje, 5271Vipava Phone, Fax: +386 (0)5 36 45 030 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 708 092 E-Mail: trsnica.kobal@siol.net Website: www.facebook.com/ kmetija.kobal Winegrowing Region: VipavaValley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinot Blanc B - Chardonnay T B - Welschriesling B - Sauvignon T B - Barbera Rose T B - Barbera T B - Merlot T - White blend: Kovk Cuvee T B - Red blend: Red Kovk Cuvee T B Trademark: Vino izpod Sončnice Additional Offer: wine-tasting (up to 50 people), wine cellar tours, grape harvesting T – on tap, B – bottled

photos by www.facebook.com/kmetija.kobal

Benedikt and Simon KOBAL Farm

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BUNTOVI Winegrowing and Winemaking Name: Bogdan Cotič Address: 62 Škrbina, 6223 Komen Phone: +386 (0)5 76 67 025 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)31 867 632 E-Mail: tjasa.komelj@siol.net Website: www.buntovi.si Winegrowing Region: Karst Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Karst Wine Road Wine Types: - Teran RTD T B - White blend: Planta T B - TeranLiqueur B Additional Offer: wine-tasting (up to 50 people), wine cellar tours, sightseeing T – on tap, B – bottled

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Name: Zmago Petrič Address: 111 Planina, 5270 Ajdovščina Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 616 091, +386 (0)51 660 265 E-Mail: guerila@petric.si Website: www.guerila.si Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella B - Zelen B - Rose B - Robola B - Sparkling Wine Castra B - Sparkling Wine Castra Rose B - Nika (dried Merlot) B - White blends: Roma, Tabu B - Red blends: Cuba B Trademark: Guerila Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours T – on tap, B – bottled

photos by www.guerila.si

GUERILA

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WINEMAKING

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Stane and Samuel Poljšal from Gradišče above Vipava

Poljšak’s Sauvignon with a New York Medal Tendency Towards Environmentally Friendly Farming The winemaker Samuel Poljšak from the village of Gradišče above the town of Vipava sent a sample of his wines overseas, to the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition 2013 in New York. His Sauvignon and Muscat Blanc won two silver plaques, his Cabernet Sauvignon won a bronze one.

Of course, the success at the competition overseas was not by chance. His Sauvignon reaped many awards also at local competitions. In 2012, at the Ljubljana Wine Festival, which is Slovenia’s most prominent wine event, his Sauvignon 2011 won second place in the category of dry white wines. A year before his Sauvignon 2009 took the third place in the category of still white wines.

The village of Gradišče is not perceived as a top winegrowing area among the inhabitants of the Vipava Valley (and consequently among others). The mecca for winegrowing is supposedly the flysch Vipava Hills. But, the foothills and southern slopes of Mt. Nanos, colloquially referred to as Podgura, can also give delicious and quality wine. The slopes are sun-exposed all day long, from early in the morning when the sun rises from behind the bald Mt. Nanos till late in the evening when it sinks somewhere in the Italian Friuli region.

Well, good natural conditions are a prerequisite for quality wine. A breakthrough to the upper class, however, can only be

achieved by the winemaker himself, with his hard work in the vineyards and with his knowledge and adequate equipment in the wine cellar.

“Our family engages in winemaking for a long time, for at least 200 years. Even the French in Napoleon’s times drank our wine and a French official had his quarters in our old house, after him an Austrian official. An orchard of 350 cherry trees spreads under this very house and under the orchard a vast vineyard. We have another vineyard not far away,” One of wine magazines put Poljšak’s Cabernet Sauvignon under the microscope: “The agreeable fruitness of prune marmalade and blackberries on the nose. Ageing in wood contributed to the full and dry flavour with moderate acidity and ripe tannins. In the Vipava Valley the wine is best paired with prosciutto and dried meat products, in the Ljubljana region, however, with roast meat, wild game meat, grilled meat and rich sauces.”

said Samuel. The estate comprises four hectares. Besides the abovementioned varieties they produce also Robola, Welschriesling, Merlot, Barbera and of course Zelen. The farm is a member of the Zelen Consortium and one of the stops along the Vipava Wine Road. “We are well aware of the importance of healthy and environmentally friendly farming and that’s why we decided for integrated wine and fruit growing,” added Samuel.

The Poljšak Farm offers magnificent views over the Vipava Valley and the Vipava Hills. Behind it rises Mt. Gradiška Tura with its steep climbing walls and over 200 various climbing routes. The village of Gradišče with its climbing site and sports park is also a starting point for hikes and trips to the nearby Mt. Plaz, Mt. Nanos or to the Church of St. Nicholas.

By rl

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photo by Robert Ferjančič

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

photo by Robert Ferjančič

T – on tap, B – bottled

photo by Robert Ferjančič

Name: Bojan Potočnik Address: 24 a Orehovica, 5272 Podnanos Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 718 501 E-Mail: svetovanje.potocnik@ siol.net Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Zelen T B - Merlot T - White blend: Orehovčan T B Trademark: Vina Potočnik Additional Offer: wine-tasting (up to 20 people), wine cellar tours (up to 20 people)

photo by Robert Ferjančič

POTOČNIK Wines

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WINEMAKING

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Perfect Conditions: Sun-Exposed and Aerial Slopes of Marly Hills

Miška Wines from Erzelj Eco Tourism The village of Erzelj is one of the smallest communities in Slovenia and the only one starting with the letter E. It comprises five hamlets, whereas three of them are named after last names: Volki, Miški, Mesesneli. As can be seen at the local cemetery, these three surnames were actually most common in the past. Today there are far more different last names in the village and only a handful of the original ones. One of new names is the name Šušmelj.

MIŠKA Wine Cellar Name: Primož Šušmelj Address: 22 Erzelj, 5270 Ajdovščina Mobile Phone: ++386 (0)41 583 955 E-Mail: info@miskawines.com Website: www.miskawines.com Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinella B - Zelen B - Robola T B - Merlot T B - Barbera B - White blend: B - Red blend: B Trademark: MIŠKA Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting T – on tap, B – bottled

It is Primož Šušmelj who is the head of the Miška winegrowing and winemaking farm. His father Radivoj Šušmelj married one of the three daughters of the late Stano Miška and moved from the Lower Vipava Valley to the Vipava Hills, to the hamlet of Miški. The farm used to engage in many activities, like most farms in the Vipava Valley, but Stano Miška had started intensively working on winegrowing and winemaking. Later Stano handed over the farm to his grandson Primož who continues the vision of his grandfather.

The Šušmelj Farm does not classify among the major winegrowers in the Vipava Valley and they don’t plan to expand their winegrowing areas either. First they plan to renew their existing vineyards, which were built by Stano Miška about

thirty years ago. These vineyards were planted with the then fashionable varieties, such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon, and cultivated according to the free cane training system. Primož is not very fond of these two varieties. First of all, due to the marly soil and higher altitudes the vines are more prone to drought and vines often die due to it. Second of all, Sauvignon for example preserves its typical aroma only for a while and then it quickly vanishes.

That is why Primož rather leaves these two varieties to the winegrowers in the valley where the soil is richer. He decided for Robola, which has always thrived well up in the hills and has together with other varieties formed the typical Vipavec wine.

To illustrate his statement he poured a glass of Robola. The wine had it all: the characteristic colour, bubbles, freshness

WINEMAKING

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013 and harmony. Quite a few problems occur, however, when purchasing vine grafts, since quality drought-resistant grafts need to be ordered a year in advance in cutting nurseries. In addition to this, all the vineyards need to be fenced as a protection from the wild animals. Deer, badgers and wild boars are regular guests and cause a lot of damage.

Their vineyards receive a great amount of sunlight and wind and they are situated at over 300 metres above sea level. The marly soil is perfect for growing Pinella, which is being revived in the Erzelj Hills.

It is a well-known fact that Pinella is very sensitive. No rainfall and no humidity, or else it starts to rot very quickly. The bora wind from the northwest and the Croatian wind from the south sweep over the Erzelj Hills so that the vineyards are well aerated. This combination of climatic and soil conditions has a unique impact on Pinella, Zelen and on other varieties. Thorough work in the vineyards and carefully watched processes in the wine cellar give the wine its Miška character. Now they produce only fresh and playful wines, in time they might take up mature wines as well. All of their wines are very successful on the market: bottled wine and wine on tap, varietal and blended wines.

Annually they produce about 20,000 litres of wine, well, not last year due to a poor harvest. About a half of the wine is being sold on tap and a half in bottles. With regards to this a new trend is shaping up.

In the past wine on tap was mostly sold in greater quantities to individuals, now the main customers of wine on tap are bars and caterers. ”The individuals and smaller groups that visit us are more de-

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manding. When tasting and purchasing the wine, they are actually buying a story.

Most important is our personal touch and approach,” said Primož, who is an economist by profession. He knows a good marketing strategy is very important. The Miška trademark has to be present on all the wine events, fairs, festivals and wine shops. A significant factor in this context is also the bottle and the label itself.

The Miška trademark is perhaps selfevident in the Vipava Valley, but in the hinterland of the country it might appear a bit unusual, maybe even provocative. It definitely quickly arouses interest, which is very good from the marketing point of view. An important factor is certainly a clever graphic image with the stylised mouse tail on the label.

They devote extra effort to their regular customers who are all invited to help with the grape harvesting, to celebrate the St. Martin’s Day and other events.

“In this way, they identify with the farm, the wine and the trademark. They become aware that the wine is not just a beverage. There’s a lot of hard work, knowledge and dedication incorporated in the wine.

If they take part in these activities, they get the feeling also a part of them is in the wine.”

A while ago they completed a wine-tasting room for smaller parties up to 15 people, where the visitors can taste wines, listen to the Miška stories and refresh themselves with prosciutto, salami, cheese or some other home-made delicacy. This rustic room is pleasant and cosy, but not big enough for bigger parties. For this reason they decided to build a bigger wine-tast-

ing room with a kitchen which will have the capacity of hosting 30 or a busload of guests. The room will be useful also in the harvesting time and for the celebrations of St. Martin’s Day. But, Primož has also large-scale plans.

He strongly believes in environmentally friendly attitude and approach to living.

He intends to establish a charging station for electric vehicles – for bikes, motorcycles or even cars. A few of these stations are already set up in the Gorizia Hills and they worked out quite well. To carry ou this project, Primož counts on some funds from the green energies project.

While the vehicle is charging, the visitors would have the opportunity to take a walk through Erzelj, to visit his wine cellar and to try out his wines. But only try, not drink, because drinking and driving don’t mix and match. For this reason spittoons are provided at his farm, those ‘weird’ containers on every table and in every corner.

Primož noticed that more and more people use spittoons, which means that people are becoming more and more aware of the dangers of drinking and driving.

To reach Erzelj, you have to take the car, whether you’re coming from Ajdovščina, from the Branica Valley or from the surrounding villages. And to top it all, there are quite a few dangerous sharp turns on the way. The locals provided information signs leading visitors to wine cellars and also an information board with a map of all the sightseeing and other interesting sites. A thematic route leads past these sites, which is marked with intriguing symbols: dragonflies. Though the Erzelj hamlets are scattered over marly hills, there are surprisingly many water springs and wells in the area. Due to this, some interesting species of flora and fauna can be found here, especially a wide selection of various dragonflies.

By Edo Pelicon

Radivoj and Primož Šušmelj

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Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

Erzelj Tabor with Two Churches In 1275 Erzelj was first mentioned in written records. According to sources from 1352 it was an important medieval castle of the patriarchs of Aquileia (Castrum montis sancti Michaelis). The castle was later turned into a fort and served as a protection against the Turkish invasions also known as ‘tabor’. The area around the fort adopted this name and is now known as Tabor. Interestingly, in the 15th century two churches were built in Tabor.

One of the churches atop of Tabor is the Church of St. Michael, which was built in 1466. The interior of the church was completely altered in the Baroque period. The church is surrounded with a wall, which has a pilaster entrance on the eastern side. The church is composed of a triangular chancel, a higher and wider rectangular nave and a bell tower built later in the Baroque period. The church is covered

The interior of the Church of St. Michael

The Erzelj Tabor with both churches

A unique altar in the Church of St. Lawrence

Relief of St. Michael on the church tower

with roofing slates. The windows in the chancel preserved its original appearance and there are still visible stonemason signs on the window jambs. Both windows in the nave underwent baroquization. The mural in the chancel was unfortunately destroyed, fragments of the murals on the arch above the southern side altar, however, were preserved. This mural depicts saints and was created shortly after the consecration of the church, probably in the 1470s. The main and both side altars are probably from the 18th century. The altar murals of St. Florian, St. Michael and St. Barbara were painted by Simon Ogrin in the 1880s. A Gothic relief depicting St. Michael is built in the western facade of the church tower.

The Church of St. Lawrence is located on the lower terrace of Tabor and was built a

bit later then the Church of St. Michael.

The church consists of a triangular chancel with no base, a wider and higher rectangular nave and a risalit projecting tower, which represents an intermediated stage in the bell tower development from a bell-gable. The church is covered with monk and nun roofing. The Gothic window in the chancel, the entrance portal and the double parallelly vaulted chancel in the interior of the church are all originally preserved. In the nave visible traces of baroquization can be clearly seen. Well preserved is the ceiling mural from the middle of the 16th century which displays angels carrying symbols of the Passion of the Christ. Unfortunately, the main altar from the 17th century was looted and only the base architecture without the statues was preserved. The same fate befell both side altars.

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photo by Robert Ferjančič

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

KOSOVEL Wine Cellar Name: Aleš Kosovel Address: 84 a Črniče, 5262 Črniče Phone: +386 (0)5 36 66 148 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 484 907 E-Mail: a.kosovel@siol.net Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Pinot Gris T B - Chardonnay T B - Sauvignon B - Merlot T B - Cabernet Sauvignon B T – on tap, B – bottled

MRMOLJA Winegrowing and Winemaking

In MALN

Name: Drago Mrmolja Address: 28 a Selo, 5262 Črniče Phone: +386 (0)5 36 66 576 Mobile Phone: +386 (0)41 642 606 Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Malvasia – Pinot T B - Barbera – Refosco T B - Zelen T B - Cabernet Franc T B - White blend T

Name: Jakob Furlan Address: 63 Slap, 5271 Vipava Phone: +386 (0)5 36 45 713 Winegrowing Region: Vipava Valley Farming Activity: winegrowing, winemaking Wine Road: Vipava Wine Road Wine Types: - Sauvignon T - Zelen T - Malvasia T - Robola T - Merlot T - White blend T - Red blend T Additional Offer: wine-tasting, wine cellar tours, grape harvesting, grape sale

T – on tap, B – bottled

T – on tap, B – bottled

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WINEMAKING

Glasnik no. 1, 22.7.2013

In Honour of the First Issue of GLASnik

Wine – Joy and Pleasure, Tradition and Sweat

photo by Miha Bratina

achieve intoxicating levels of sugar. The vine and grapes were the symbol of the Vipava Valley already in the medieval times, which is evidenced also by the medieval coat of arms. To top it all, even the 18th century Vienna Court had its cellars stocked with the delicious wines from our valley.

In the Vipava Valley, nature and man joined forces and created excellent conditions for winegrowing and winemaking.

The distinctive features of this region are two indigenous varieties: Zelen and Pinella.

The Karst winegrowing region mainly produces Teran, which is recognized as a distinctive Slovenian wine. The dry, windy

The ruthless bora wind made the people of the Vipava Valley and the Karst region strong, hard-working and determined with a clear vision in their minds. They are proud of their winegrowing and winemaking tradition and of their special customs and habits regarding the production of wine. Also diverse handicrafts developed over the years in order to provide all the necessary equipment for the cultivation of vineyards and the production of wine. The family workshops produced a range of accessories and devices, such as casks, barrels, buckets, wooden tubs, taps, presses, mills, carts and many others.

Mostly wooden equipment was replaced by new technologies and modern devices, but their rich experiences, knowledge, diligence and love for winegrowing and winemaking all remained. The new age challenges, new global trends, new technologies and the trust into their knowledge and traditions are being transformed from grapes into wine, from vineyards into wine cellars and then into glasses. It is joy and pleasure, not comfort. It is an inspiration and not an excuse.

By Rudi Lovec

photo by Robert Ferjančič

The Vipava Valley is safely harboured between a chain of Prealps in the north and flysch hills in the south. It has a pleasant climate influenced by the Mediterranean Sea in the west. On account of its excellent geographic position and climatic conditions, the Vipava Valley has always been interspersed with numerous vineyards.

The Valley’s premium wine was mentioned even in the works of the famous Roman author Pliny the Elder. Alongside the favourable soil and climatic conditions goes well the renowned bora wind, which blows the clouds away, exposes the valley to the sun and enables the grapes to

The vineyards of the Vipava Valley were described in detail by the famous natural historian Johann Weichard von Valvasor in his work Glory of the Duchy of Carniola (1689). The priest and winegrowing expert Matija Vertovec, however, mentioned in his Winegrowing for Slovenes (Vinoreja za Slovence) from 1844 that the best winegrowing areas are found in the Upper Vipava Valley. In the village of Slap the first Slovene Agricultural School was active between 1873 and 1886 and in 1894 the first winegrowing cooperative on the Slovenian territory was established in the town of Vipava.

and rugged Karst plateau is situated between the Gulf of Trieste and the Vipava Valley. The vines have been grown in the lee of Karst sinkholes for centuries and the distinctive red soil, terra rossa, gives the grapes and wine a unique character.

Published by: INFONOVA Mitja Tripković s.p.

64 Goriška cesta, 5279 Ajdovščina mitja.infoburja@siol.net, +386 (0)5 36 71 501

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