IT’S ALL NATURAL
The natural winemaking renaissance began in the 1990s. A group of Slovenian farmers decided to return to traditional methods, growing their grapes organically and producing macerated white wines, commonly known as orange wines in the UK and USA.
These wines are made from white grapes but vinified like red wines. The juice is left to macerate on the skins for up to a month – imparting colour, flavour and tannins – rather than being pressed straight off. The result is an array of orange- to honey-coloured wines that exhibit a unique set of spicy, bitter and floral notes.
Orange wines are likely to be “the most unusual wines you ever taste” according to natural wine authority, Isabel Legeron, and they’re coveted from London to Tokyo.
WINE DOWN IN THE VIPAVA VALLEY
The ideal place to start a voyage of discovery is Ajdovščina. (Try pronouncing it like "out of China".) Only an hour’s drive from
Ljubljana at the heart of the Vipava Valley, this pretty town of just over 6000 inhabitants is built on Roman foundations. Its narrow streets are interesting to wander and provide shelter from the valley’s famous wind, the
burja, which is starting to flex its icy muscles at this time of year.
In the town centre, tasting room and boutique Faladur provides a great introduction to Vipava Valley wine and gastronomy. They stock bottles from a host of local winemakers and offer food pairings that give a sense of the proximity to Italy – think crispy fried polenta and quail’s egg paired with a smooth Barbera, or home-made herb ricotta lifted by a zippy white Zelen or Pinela. You can also sample award-winning craft beer from enigmatic young brewers Pelicon – founded just a year ago, they’ve already been crowned Slovenia’s finest.
As for orange wine, the valley’s finest winemaker is Mlečnik, based in pastoral countryside on the lower Vipava Valley wine road. This father and son team have a holistic approach. At their scenic farmhouse they produce a beautiful Rebula, one of the region’s indigenous varietals, but their gloriously aromatic orange Chardonnays are the highlight. Released after five years of maturation, these will have even the most hardened “ABC” (anything but Chardonnay) adherents ripping up the rulebook.