VIPAVA SPARKLING

Gaining on popularity worldwide, sparkling wine is no exception also in Vipava valley. About 10 years ago there may only be one or two sparkling wine producers in entire Vipava valley. There is no tradition of making sparkling wine in Vipava valley, many winemakers decided to try it recently anyway. What drives them to this decision? They stressed the personal challenge of making something new, but other momentum is certainly of financial nature, there is demand on sparkling wines in Slovenia. 
Recently Tourist information center in Vipava organized a nice tasting of sparkling wines from Vipava valley, upper part mostly. It wasn't just a tasting. The art of sparkling wine production was explained along with tasting samples starting with base for sparkling wine and further process stages before it is ready for drinking. Afterwards five different sparkling wines were to taste. From white to rose, from dry to sweet. Seems there is no limit in sparkling wine range.         
Will any winemaker in Vipava valley reach the quality to have guts and make only sparkling wine ?

small globules as yeast carrier still in bottle

opening sparkling wine shouldn't end with loud cork explosion

    

VIENNA CALLING-ORANGE

For the first time on this scale in Austria so called orange wine producers had their wine presentation in Radisson Blu Palais Hotel in Vienna. About 30 producers from Slovenia, Italy, Croatia and Austria together. Stylish historic hotel in the heart of Vienna. From the street nothing pointed on this event, but immediately on entrance signs marked the way to the second floor and great hall buzzing with people. Event was well organized, those who came showed genuine interest. Estimated 500 people visited this one afternoon event. Is it a lot or not, hard to tell. With about 1,7 million inhabitants Vienna is almost as populated as whole Slovenia with it's 2,0 million people. 
Most of Austrian wine is very different from wine presented on this event. Their wine is intended to be drunk in one or two years, not kept longer. Austrian wine market is doing well, from this point of view they don't have to change. Even if Austria is one of the countries in the EU with largest number of ECO or organic products, wine isn't one of them. Maybe there is the chance for Slovenian wine makers who are making s.c. orange wine, many of them are organic producers starting in vineyard and continuing in the cellar, sincerely believing in their product. 
In almost one week time after, I didn't notice much attention of Austrian media about this event. A lot more in Slovenia, though. 

Just recently I talked to a young winemaker near Vipava on occasion of opening their cellar to visitors. His wine is very conventional style as what majority of winemakers in Vipava valley are doing. Cold fermentation, selected yeasts, filtration etc. He heard of this great orange wine event in Vienna and would like to make some orange wine himself. 
Piece of cake, here is the recipe: How to make Orange Wine 

       

WINE & IDENTITY

Almost unavoidable question when drinking wine is; where does it come from and who is the winemaker or winery. Additional questions come afterwards.
We associate wine with region or country where it is produced. Speaking of wine from Europe most people think of France, Italy, Spain, other countries follow. First reason they produce wast majority of the wine and have long tradition of wine making and trade.
Hardly anyone think of wine from Slovenia or Slovenian winemakers when talking about European wine. One reason is small quantity, Slovenia has fairly small wine production due to it's scale.
It doesn't mean Slovenian wine is of inferior quality, in many cases it presents opposite, a pleasant surprise, sometimes even astonishment. Individual Slovenian winemakers may be known to enthusiasts worldwide. Almost all of them coming from western Slovenia or within distance of few kilometers away in Italy. Their wine stands out from average either by special method or story around it, mostly both. Just few of them belong to this group.
To follow fashion trends in wine? Anybody remembering woody barique wine which was highly in fashion in the early 90s? It didn't work well in Slovenia.
  
Is different terroir enough to make recognizable wine? To reach wider recognition is it enough to make just wine with no mistakes, but similar as big wine countries and thousands other winemakers around the globe? Is it good to make the wine consumers "demand"? 
Or should winemakers do what they find right and good, to rely on their feeling? As foundation using knowledge and experience of past generations and incorporating present possibilities. 

        

VRHPOLJE

 wine samples arriving

  Last Friday. It wasn't announced all over, more, it seems they wanted to keep it a small secret. Guided wine tasting took place prior to Wine shop opening in Vrhpolje, Vipava valley. Mr. Wondra insightful guided the tasting of 15 wine samples, all from Vrhpolje and Duplje villages, from whites to red wines. He emphasized the differences between wines in such small growing area. Vinification of presented wines was done professionally, no faults in wines. Samples ranged from Pergolin, Zelen, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Muscat and couple blends on white side and mostly Merlot and Cabernet, their combination and one Syrah on red side. I preferred red wines from Martin Krapež, his Merlot 2009 and his red blend, Lapor rdeče 2009. 

I wish winemakers from Vrhpolje would make the choice which wine to buy  much harder for me. Hope it happens soon.

ham baked in bread crust

 

where to start?

 

WHAT VAT ?

Vats for maceration and primary fermentation. Not that long ago every vat used to be made of wood. Nowadays there are hardly any wooden vats left. In small wineries they are mostly made of plastic, sometimes concrete. In big wineries they are of stainless steel. 
No wonder there are less and less wooden vats around. They have to be scrubbed to keep them clean, soak them before usage and they have to be stored properly not to catch any mold or worms. Plastic vats are simply washed and put aside for next season. Seems like wooden vats will soon be only pieces for museum. Here they are.

  

PIT 18

No, it isn't a computer game, doesn't have to do with car racing, neither is an casino in Detroit, Michigan. It is name of a grape variety, which shape reminds on olive.
Since 19.th century as Philloxera vitifoliae or grape vine louse almost destroyed vineyards in Europe grape vine is grafted. One of those nurseries called Trsnica Vrhpolje is in Vrhpolje, Vipava valley. They take care of vine planting material and clonal selection in Vipava valley. Here are some examples from this year's grape exhibition.

Yes, it's a grape variety!

Perhaps the only real indigenous vine variety of importance in Vipava valley

Local grapevine variety, popular in upper Vipava valley

One of less known and grown varieties

Vitovska has gained it's fame through winemakers as Vodopivec Paolo, Zidarich Benjamin, Škerk Sandi....

Some grape varieties have more names, depending from location, Teran is known as red wine made of Refošk grape

Local grape variety of lesser importance

 

WINE AND HORSE

Do horses drink wine? Probably yes, if one offers it to horse. It would be pity though to offer wine which this horse's owner makes. 
Painstaking and precise work in vineyards through the year, with low yield, long maturation process in clay vessels from Georgia and later wooden barrels tell different story of the wine.
In fact this makes Joško's wine unique. He is responsible for small wine making revolution in this part of Slovenia, Italy and beyond. Afterwards many winemakers couldn't resist the temptation of making wine in quevri, also called amphora... 
But it isn't just the process. It is his philosophy from pruning in winter and through the year to harvesting the grapes. Just to mention the work in vineyard. The wine Joško Gravner makes is very different from wine made in Georgia, at least as far what I tasted. Georgian ancient tradition of wine making inspired him to make his wines, not to copy them. The wines Joško makes definitely aren't something one would just make a sip and say: OK. 
His white wines are rich in taste, with herbal, also fruity note, fresh and clean in mouth.
http://www.wineanorak.com/italy/joskogravner.htm

When everybody complain about bad year for vine growing, he says: this is my best vintage so far.
I'm anxious to see what Joško makes out of this challenging year.

any wine left for me?

...just some goats inside...

...years ago they were "born" in amphora

      

BREAD &...

I bought some local sheep cheese from Vrtovin, Vipava valley recently. It is not too strong, yet definitely sheep cheese. It goes well plain with wine, structured white wine or red as well. How would this cheese go with bread? Not average bread, but bread with herbs. Since there is some Tarragon in my herb garden I decided to make a bread that goes with sheep cheese and with any jam as well. Not salty bread and not sweet, for sweetness comes from Tarragon.

750g flour, mix of white 500 and a bit of rye
20g fresh yeast
60g melted butter
400ml warm milk
leveled TSP salt
2 SP brown sugar
2 egg yolks
2 branches of Tarragon finely chopped
half TSP of lemon zest finely chopped

Here is the result.

fresh lemon for zest

fresh Tarragon

makes two loafs

bread with Tarragon

      

SALTY ENOUGH ?

North Adriatic sea. Dating from 15.th to 17.th Century salt beds in Strunjan have long tradition. They were some of the important salt gaining facilities for Venetian Republic. Since 14.th century a new salt gaining process from island of Pag has been introduced to salt beds of Piran and vicinity. So called petola is man made basement-crust of salt beds with help of microorganisms. This crust prevents salt to pick up soil and therefore coloration when harvesting.
For couple of years the salt beds have been restored and are in use again after longer period of negligence. Now they are part of Strunjan natural park. This year conditions for finest of salt's "fleur de sel" are ideal. Calm sea and very dry, warm weather. This salt is well known in gourmet kitchen. It is perfect for finishing touch on various dishes.   

Traditional harvest of finest salt

Tiny film of delicate "fleur de sel" on water surface

Salt beds of Strunjan

Regular sea salt

 

WATER?

Dry vineyard in dry landscape not far from Štanjel

There won't be much to pick this fall...

Still no rain...

HAVE YOU SEEN THE RAIN?

Mid-summer heat. Even flays are resting on early afternoon. OK, it is summer and it should be hot. We're used to this. What is causing increasing worries is absence of decent precipitation for almost a year. The winter was dry, very windy and cold. Lack of water is visible everywhere. It is becoming obvious in recent weeks when shrubs and trees are loosing their foliage. Even hardy plants like vine with deep roots are beginning to show the stress. Depending from ground type it is more or less obvious. Some vineyards on shallow Karst soil or higher laying grounds with Merrel terrain are especially affected. Suitable grounds on Karst are not abundant. Therefore many vineyards are planted where only shrubs and grass was growing before. Additional soil had to be brought there in order to plant vine. Few have irrigation system installed. Actually there was no need for it. And it doesn't pay of. This summer is putting the plants, also vine to test. The forecast for next two weeks is: hot and sunny.

natural vineyard

dawn in Karst vineyard

about 70 years old Teran vine...it will probably survive even this drought

Teran grapes

Emil Tavčar and his special Teran, vintage 2010, hard year but a small quantity of extreme rich wine

Teran, Malvazija, Vitovska...Karst wine