Slovenska Istra

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard district is built on Eocene flysch sediments, with Eocene limestone appearing at the surface only near Izola.
• The varied micro-relief on the flysch creates local areas with distinctive pedological conditions, in which associations of brown soils predominate.
• Landslides and soil creep are characteristic features, managed and prevented over the centuries by means of cultivated terraces, with around 20.6% of vineyards situated on terraced sites.
• The district sees an interplay of Mediterranean and continental climates; the average sum of active air temperatures is 5,407.4 °C, with temperatures ranging from a maximum of 35 °C to a minimum of –4.3 °C.
• The peaks of the Šavrini Hills reach 400–500 m above sea level, and the landscape is characterised by broad, flat ridges and ravine-shaped valleys with very steep slopes.

• Certain varieties, such as Malvazija, yellow Muscat and Cabernet Sauvignon, have berry skins robust enough to withstand drying; after a dry and warm autumn they are therefore dried on straw or in wooden crates in the attic until December or January, producing a straw wine.
• Wine in the district is also sold through the traditional practice known as osmica — the sale of non-originally bottled wine of geographical origin directly by the producer, on the premises where the wine is kept and tended, and open for a maximum of eight days at a time.

• The wines are rich in alcohol (12.5–16% vol) and show lower acidity and higher extract, which together with other compounds yield wines of marked minerality, warm in character with long finishes.
• With appropriate fresh-wine production techniques, winemakers emphasise primary aromas that are fruity, fresh and distinctly varietal; wines made from overripe fruit often develop secondary aromas reminiscent of dried figs, overripe plums, ripe berries and preserves, and display golden-yellow colours verging on amber.
• Sparkling wine from the Refošk variety is of intense ruby colour; the nose is a combination of ripe red fruit and sour-cherry jam, while the palate is velvety and harmonious.

• The same interplay of continental and Mediterranean climate with flysch soils, applied to the red varieties Refošk, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, produces appropriate polyphenolic ripeness, which contributes to deep colour, tannic structure, ageing potential and suitability for maturation in wooden vessels.
• The interplay of continental climate — with high daytime and low night-time temperatures — with Mediterranean climate and flysch soils, where Eocene limestone also appears near Izola, yields grapes with a high sugar content and lower acidity, from which wines rich in alcohol and of marked minerality are produced.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Slovenia

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-SI-A0609
• Official trade body site — Vinakoper d.o.o.