Our destination for our first full day was the beautifully picturesque Goriska Brda region. Situated to the far west of Ljubljana, right on the border with Italy, the area was reminiscent of Tuscany with rolling hills and natural amphitheatres of vineyards. It has established itself as a very high quality production zone with Marjan Simcic, perhaps Slovenia’s best known producer, based here.
Our first visit was to the Brda Cooperative. 400 growers with 1000 hectares of vines accounts for almost half of the area’s production. We were treated to a guided tour of the pretty villages and spectacular countryside before heading into the tasting room. Our host was Ales Kmet, the COO from eVino which is headed by the esteemed Gasper Carman. The Carman family has been in the restaurant and hospitality business for many years and has just recently launched its Gasper range of wines made from specially selected wines from the cooperative. All the wines were crisp, clean and fruit driven with pleasing minerality. The highlight was the barrel fermented Rebula 2013 that could easily have passed for white Burgundy in a blind tasting.
It was then a short hop to Osterija Klinec – a fabulous farmhouse restaurant with stunning views of the Brda vineyards. A rich sausage pasta was washed down with a rich Malvasia and we then trooped over to the open fire to watch the most succulent beef being cooked to perfection. The Klinec family red was the perfect accompaniment. We managed to gobble down some lovely panna cotta before heading over to Edi Simcic – an acclaimed Goriska Brda estate.
Jare Simcic hosted us with great style and gave us a deep insight into his grandfather’s philosophy of wine making. Edi Simcic barrel ferment and age all their whites and reds with some stunning results. The Malvasia, Tocai Friulano all oozed minerality and richness but the highlight was the Sauvignon Blanc. From the 2013 vintage this had spent 10 months in 30% new oak and was far removed from the herbaceous gooseberry styles we have become accustomed to.
It was a great contrast to the morning’s tasting and gave us all a comprehensive understanding of the quality and diversity within the Goriska Brda region.