Viticulture in Slovenia
The Slovenian wine has after the collapse of Yugoslavia very quickly made independently. Today Slovenia is one of the most flourishing wine-growing regions in Eastern Europe .
Grape varieties
Due to the high consumption of wine in Slovenia itself, a large part of the production only has the status of table wine . A steadily growing number of producers of quality wines of Western European standards stand out from this crowd . A steadily increasing number of wineries can already compete internationally. It is no longer just the Beeren- and Trockenbeerenauslese from the area around Jeruzalem that win international medals, but also winemakers from all over Slovenia.
| Leading grape varieties in Slovenia (as of 2003) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| variety | colour | synonym | Surface (%) |
| 1. Welschriesling | White | Laški Rizling | 18.1 |
| 2. Chardonnay | White | 7.6 | |
| 3. Sauvignon Blanc | White | 6.2 | |
| 4. Refosco | red | Refošk | 5.9 |
| 5. Žametovka | red | 5.6 | |
| 6. Furmint | White | Sipon | 5.2 |
| 7. Ribolla Gialla | White | Rebula | 4.9 |
| 8. Merlot | red | 4.9 | |
| 9. Riesling | White | Renski Rizling | 4.8 |
| 10. Pinot Blanc | White | Beli Pinot | 3.8 |
Wine-growing areas
The total cultivation area in Slovenia is around 24,200 hectares . The annual production is 1 million hl , of which 25% is red and 75% is white .
Slovenia is divided into three wine-growing regions:
- the Drau valley (Podravje)
- the Adriatic coastland (Primorska)
- the Sava Valley (Posavje)
Drau Valley (Podravje)
Mostly white wines come from this growing area, the most common varieties are Furmint and Welschriesling . Other grape varieties are Riesling , Traminer , Chardonnay , Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris . The wines from the Drautal are traditionally semi-dry or sweet.
Adriatic Coast (Primorska)
The hills of Brda , Vipava , Kras and Koper form the extension of the Friulian growing areas of Collio and Carso . Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Rébula and Malvasia are produced here of excellent quality. Red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon , Merlot and Pinot Noir are also increasingly being pressed. The traditional red wine of Slovenia is the acidic Teran made from Refosco grapes.
Sava Valley (Posavje)
This area is located in the south of Slovenia, on the border with Croatia . In the Save Valley, mostly simple table wines are produced.
See also
literature
- Jens Priewe: Wine, the new big school. Zabert Sandmann, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-89883-009-8
