Of the beaten track - Wines from Slovenia

 In the early 1980s one of our first holidays outside the UK as a newly married couple was to Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federal Republic running down the east side of the Adriatic that had been led since the end of WW2 by long-standing and recently-deceased president Tito. As a communist country it was decidedly cheaper than fashionable Mediterranean holiday destinations such as France and Italy and we were delighted to be able to stay for a modest price in a beachfront hotel in the charming resort of Poreč.  With the breakdown of the six republics making up the Yugoslav federation in 1991 Poreč found itself in an independent Croatia and, although we have never revisited the coast again, we did make a trip to Croatia's capital Zagreb a few years ago. Our third trip so far to the former Yugoslavia was this summer, a long weekend in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia.  Without doubt it is one of the cleanest, most attractive and welcoming (albeit small) capital cities in Europe.

So what has this got to do with wine and beer?   Well, to be honest, I cannot remember anything that we drank other than slivovitz, the ubiquitous plum brandy, from Poreč in the early 80s.  However, what I do recall is being impressed that you paid the same for it whether you were on the seafront or in a dingy backstreet bar.  (Surely, that was a bonus in a communist country?!!).  In Zagreb I recall some unfamiliar wines on restaurant menus and retrospectively I guess many of these were made from Malvazija Istarska / Malvasia Istriana; a safe bet for a floral white wine when faced with a confusing Croatian wine list.  However, it was recently in some excellent restaurants in Ljubljana that we encountered owners committed to showcasing local, in this case Slovenian, wines ... and what eyeopeners they were too.  I could write about all the different white, red, orange and sparking wines we tasted that weekend but instead I'll focus on just one bottle that reflects the distinctiveness of this country's wines - a bottle of Bordon Refošk Classic 2016 picked up for no more than 15€ in a shop in Ljubljana's Old Town.

Bordon Refošk Classic 2016

The map below covers the area in question.  Slovenia is in the centre bounded by the grey line. Ljubljana is in the centre of the country and Maribor is in the north.  Zagreb is east across the border in Croatia whereas Trieste is the port city at the top of the Adriatic on the narrow strip of land just inside Italy.  The block of land protruding into the sea south of Trieste down as far as Pula is the Istrian Peninsular.  The bulk of this including Poreč on the coast is in Croatia although crucially just south of Trieste around the town of Koper there is a small coastal strip where Slovenia meets the sea.  This is the region of Slovenska Istra (Slovenian Istria) and the red marker here indicates the location of Vina Bordon.  It is in one of Slovenia's most famous wine areas.

The family-run winery was founded by Ivan Bordon, the father of the present owner Boris, in the mid 1980s within the Republic of Yugoslavia.  At the time this was the only private winemaking enterprise in the area and one of only ten in the whole of Slovenia.  Its position at a relatively low altitude with cooling breezes off the sea  provides ideal conditions for ripening grapes.  While the vineyard has gained a high profile in the area and embraces the potential of wine tourism it continues to operate on traditional lines with minimum intervention, relatively low yields, and harvesting by hand.

I must confess this wine is the first I have knowingly drunk made from the Refošk grape and I was pleasantly surprised.  As I understand it it is closely related to the Refosco variety which is grown in the neighbouring Fruili Venezia Giulia region of NE Italy although this is another wine area I know I need to explore in greater depth in future.  What struck me at first was the deep ruby red colour and the intensity of taste. Flavours of berries and plums immediately come to mind.  At 14.5% abv it was a powerful wine with robust tannins.  I note it is aged for 24 months in barrique barrels followed by a further 12 months in much larger oak barrels before bottling.  This certainly gives this wine a distinct oakiness and presumably helps to soften the tannins.  I doubt we are going to find a Slovenian Refošk in a UK supermarket anytime soon but if you happen to be holidaying in Ljubljana (highly recommended!) I definitely encourage you to try it while you have the chance.