Do you like white wines? How about red wines? Perhaps you prefer orange wines or even rosé? Or maybe you are a fan of sparkling wines? What about cuvee wines? If you answered yes to at least one question, and you would like to have a glass of wine now, then I suggest you to read this post to the end.
In my previous posts I already wrote about the region of Goriska Brda. A small region of western Slovenia, right on the border with Italy, with charming landscapes of small hills covered with vineyards, fruit trees and olive trees. Small villages with narrow streets are located on the top of the hills, a lovely place that is often compared to Tuscany.
During May and June, the region is even more lively with many events taking place. Today I will present an event called DOK – abbreviation of Days of Open Cellars.
Goriska Brda is a well-known wine producing region, with excellent and internationally awarded wines and wine makers. You can choose from the great variety of white wines and red wines. There are also excellent producers of sparkling wines and of course we cannot skip the orange wines. I’m sure that in Goriska Brda everyone can find “his/her own wine”.
The most prominent and famous variety is the Rebula. It represents around 25% of all wine production in Goriska Brda. The variety Rebula (Ribolla or Ribuela) is originally from Greece but has been grown in Slovenia for at least 750 years. Beside Rebula, you can also enjoy: Chardonnay, Malvasia, Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio and Pino Verde, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignonasse, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and much more.
The whole idea of the event is, that local wine producers have organized wine tastings and you can just stop by. There is one organiser who coordinates the whole event: you buy the ticket (rate for the 2 days event this year was 35 euro per person), you get a glass and the map of all wine cellars is available on the web. In this way you can visit the wine makers in the order you want and you can make as many visits as you want. The number of glasses per person is defined, but I haven’t noticed anyone denying an extra glass. Of course, the whole event is no made for excessive drinking, but to get in contact with local wine producers, discover their work, their wines and buy some wine for home as well.
You have to plan in advance who will be the driver 😊 and who will not drink, but there is also a shuttle bus service that goes from winery to winery.
The list of participants is not the same every year, also some of the wine makers are participating in the event for one day only. You can choose and visit smaller wine producers, but also some of the great names of Slovenian and world wine making. As expected, the locations with famous wine makers can be a little bit crowded, but is not always the case… In general, the bigger ones are not keen to show the wine cellars or they have fix timings for the group visits, while with the smaller ones is easier and you can agree with them for a short tour of the wine cellar.
A friend of mine, who was the organiser of “our group visit” did a great plan so we were able to visit quite a lot of wine makers in two days. This is the second year that I’m taking part in this event, so we’ve tried to visit as much of the wine cellars that we haven’t visited a year before, but some of them are simply so great that we had to repeat them also this year.
I just made a quick calculation, and I’m able to present you 14 wine makers (don’t count my glasses, please 😊).
We started our two-day tour of Brda at the winery Zaletel in the village of Hrusevlje. A friendly welcome, nicely chilled champagne, a slice of prosciutto,… such a perfect start.
The Carga estate is one of the largest farms in Brda. A very nice homestead located right on the top of the hill overlooking a small valley. Great selection of wines with excellent sparkling wine.
The cellar is located in the basements of the Dobrovo castle. It is a brand of the biggest wine cellar in Goriška Brda (Klet Brda – Wine cellar Brda). The De Bagure line is the line of high-quality wines. Part of the cellar is reserved for Ralf Schumacher- former Formula 1 driver. He is a big wine lover and was brought to Slovenia by coincidence. He tasted a Rebula from the Brda cellar in a Salzburg restaurant. He was so impressed that he contacted the winery's representatives, and a special line of Schumacher Selection wines was born. He is involved in the whole wine making process and he visits the cellar as well.
Edi Simcic wines - is one of the most famous winemakers in the region, located in the village of Vipolze. The quality of his wines is world known. Nearby the wine cellar, they also have a beautiful Villa Almavista, that can be rented for holidays.
The Erzetice winery is located in the village of Visnjevik. In addition to the classic wines, their specialty is the ageing of the wine in large clay amphorae, which are dug into the ground.
The Kristalvin brand from the village of Visjevik is well positioned on the domestic and world wine market. The wines are different, fresh and distinctive. Their philosophy is very simple, they try to produce natural wines as possible!
For me, one of the most beautiful wineries is the wine cellar of the Jakoncic Family wineries. It is located in the village of Kozana. Here, eight metres underground, nature and time have the main say. Their wines are among the most recognisable Slovenian wines. Some cellars have special barrels in the shape of an egg. They can be from wood or from concrete. Their unique shape allows the wine to slowly circulate all the time. Recently, it is the Jakoncic family who have been achieving some of Slovenia's highest bottle prices on the world market. Quality comes at a price!
Kristancic Winery is located in the centre of Medana village. In a sentence, exceptional wines made from carefully selected grapes from the oldest vineyard. You must try their wines.
We visited the Muzic winery for the first time. The warm welcome of the owner, the excellent tasting tour and the great wines that followed convinced me that their wine would find a place in our home. Their sparkling wine is already chilling in my fridge.
In Kozana, I visited the winemaker Radikon. In addition to excellent wines and a priceless view of the countryside, it also offers excellent olive oil.
Bizjak Homestead is located in the east of Goriška Brda, at the foot of Sabotin hill at an altitude of 260 m. One of my favorite wine makers. I always have a bottle of their wines at home 😊. Great family business, the sons are continuing the family tradition. I love their Pino Grigio and the Cabernet Sauvignon. The owner, Vojko, explained that he left nothing to chance. His wines are the result of hard work, but above all, respect for nature and love for the land and wine.
The Sibav Winery is located in the village of Neblo. All of their wines from the cellar are macerated, so they have more pronounced flavors and aromas, and are suitable for ageing. I need to get a wine archive at home 😉
Ronk Winery is from the village of Vipolze. The owner told us, that his ambition was, and still is, to produce high quality wines. Beside excellent wines, the homestead offers one of the best views of the region.
Zanut Winery is located in the village of Neblo. Its wines are different, aged but still very fresh. They are extremely mineral, rounded and powerful. Really something different, worth a try!
We spent a glorious weekend with our friends, had a great time and tried the best of what the winemakers had to offer. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and as a famous quote says: “Years and glasses of wine must never be counted”. Cheers🍷🍷🍷
Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, 
