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

           

DEVIN

Again, for the 6th year in a row. Magnificent scenery for wine and food lovers dedicated to Vitovska and seafood. The castle in Devin-Duino and it's garden north of Trst-Trieste. Beautiful weather contributed to atmosphere. 25 Vitovska winemakers and 20 restaurants with predominantly fish appetizers from Italian and Slovene Kras-Karst made each stop in castle's garden to delight. Well, at a point not so much, because the stands were stormed by the crowd. On the other hand stands would look sad, empty, no people around. 
Prior to wine tasting a lecture by M. Crespan about origin of Vitovska was held. Not a world's important grape, Vitovska (or better viticulturists and winemakers) managed to attract attention even in the USA. http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/the-wines-of-vitovska-grapes/  
  
Paying attention to environment and using natural (climatic) resources of Kras, some of viticulturists turned to organic wine production. Vitovska will probably newer be mass produced grape, it is good so.

http://www.themorningclaret.com/2011/friuli-carso-kante-skerk-zidarich/