Ivo Kuljaj,
TRTE IN VINA NA SLOVENSKEM
VINES AND WINES IN SLOVENIA
Slovenia - The Old World in Miniature
The Author,
Gabrje pod Gorjanci, St Martin’s Day 2004
Sources:
http://www.red-vitezov-vina.si/UserFiles/File/Uploaded/1656_Trte-02.pdf
TRTE IN VINA NA SLOVENSKEM
VINES AND WINES IN SLOVENIA
Slovenia - The Old World in Miniature
Slovenia is in all respects ideally suited to winemaking. Or, as world-renowned expert Anthony Dias Blue put it, Slovenia is a winemaking paradise. The presence of the vine in this small country on the sunny side of the Alps has been documented as far back as 2,600 years ago. Its terroir, determined in part by the mix of climatic influences from the Mediterranean, the Alps and the Hungarian Plain, with average annual temperatures between 9˚C and 13.7˚C, allows the most diverse styles of wine to be produced. At Slovenian wineries you can find gentle, fresh, aromatic whites, top predicate-quality whites, and full, hearty and recognisably sun-kissed reds. In short, Slovenia is the Old World in miniature.
With annual production of around 100 million litres, Slovenia accounts for only a small part of the quantity of wine produced worldwide. But it cannot be overlooked in terms of the quality and diversity of its wines, which are regularly placed high in tastings all over the world. Winemakers in Slovenia are cosmopolitan in producing wines from the finest and most familiar world varieties (chardonnay, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, etc.), but also show a patriotic pride in some unique local products (cviček, teran, refošk, zelen, pinela, and šipon among them). If we add to this the diversity of landscape and the special features of the vineyard architecture, then the first sentence of this introduction has a more than solid footing. Slovenes are world record holders for the sheer number of wineries, the cottages known here as zidanice and traditional cellars, if not in absolute terms, then certainly in per capita terms. This is a priceless asset that Slovenia takes with it into the EU nations’ treasure trove of nature and culture.
There are two symbols on Slovenia’s crest and flag: Mt Triglav and the sea, which symbolically and geographically define the country and the soul of the people living in this small piece of Central Europe between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. But the national anthem is Zdravljica, the Toast, an ode to Slovenia’s winemaking soul. It is over 150 years old, but according to former American president Bill Clinton, it is as fresh as if written by the poet yesterday. It is not so much the legacy of the past, but rather the inheritance of the future, as the Slovenian Viticulture and Winemaking Business Association wrote of Slovenian wines. And it is for this reason that I have written this book. If by doing so I add a new tile to the mosaic of national awareness and my country’s profile abroad, I will be a happy man.
With annual production of around 100 million litres, Slovenia accounts for only a small part of the quantity of wine produced worldwide. But it cannot be overlooked in terms of the quality and diversity of its wines, which are regularly placed high in tastings all over the world. Winemakers in Slovenia are cosmopolitan in producing wines from the finest and most familiar world varieties (chardonnay, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, etc.), but also show a patriotic pride in some unique local products (cviček, teran, refošk, zelen, pinela, and šipon among them). If we add to this the diversity of landscape and the special features of the vineyard architecture, then the first sentence of this introduction has a more than solid footing. Slovenes are world record holders for the sheer number of wineries, the cottages known here as zidanice and traditional cellars, if not in absolute terms, then certainly in per capita terms. This is a priceless asset that Slovenia takes with it into the EU nations’ treasure trove of nature and culture.
There are two symbols on Slovenia’s crest and flag: Mt Triglav and the sea, which symbolically and geographically define the country and the soul of the people living in this small piece of Central Europe between Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. But the national anthem is Zdravljica, the Toast, an ode to Slovenia’s winemaking soul. It is over 150 years old, but according to former American president Bill Clinton, it is as fresh as if written by the poet yesterday. It is not so much the legacy of the past, but rather the inheritance of the future, as the Slovenian Viticulture and Winemaking Business Association wrote of Slovenian wines. And it is for this reason that I have written this book. If by doing so I add a new tile to the mosaic of national awareness and my country’s profile abroad, I will be a happy man.
The Author,
Gabrje pod Gorjanci, St Martin’s Day 2004
Sources:
http://www.red-vitezov-vina.si/UserFiles/File/Uploaded/1656_Trte-02.pdf
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