In late January, Kathy and I traveled to the Slovenian Embassy in Washington DC for a tasting of Slovenian wines. We were informed of the four-city US Tour of Slovenian Wines from the Marq Wine Group. We have traveled to embassies in the past for wine tastings. This experience at the Slovenian Embassy was stellar. Embassy staff welcomed us and several attended the tasting. We learned that some of the staff had ties to Slovenian wines whether it was a grandparent and uncle or having a small vineyard in their backyard that was used to make wine.
We began with a sit-down presentation and tasting. We were welcomed with a light red wine, a 2023 Cvi?ek by Klet Krško Winery. Part of this winery is a cooperative representing about 200 grape growing families. Cvi?ek is a blend of red and white grapes from these families. The blend includes the red varietal grapes Žametna ?rnina and Blaufränkisch, and white varietal grapes Kraljevina, Welschrieseling and Rumeni Plavec. The 10% alcohol wine had a red color with a dark pink hue. The wine was reminiscent of a red and black berry fruit salad. It had a very crisp finish. This is a very easy drinking wine that would be perfect during warmer months while on a rocking chair on a porch or during colder months in front of a fire.
The presentation and tasting tasting of four flights of four wines in each flight was conducted by Andrey Ivanov, MS of Bliss Wine Concierge. There were two white wine flights, a red wine flight and a sparkling wine flight.
In the first white wine flight the wine that caught my attention was the 2022 Pullus Sauvignon Blanc. Pullus wine cellars is among the oldest in Europe dating from 1239. Pullus was founded by the Romans. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, with 13% alcohol, had a light yellow color. There was lemon grass on the aroma and the taste offered yellow stone fruits. This delicious wine had a crispy fruity finish.
In the second white wine flight the 2022 Kristan?i? Winery Sivi Pinot (Pinot Gris) stood out. The 13% alcohol wine had a dark yellow color. The Sivi Pinot had floral and fruit notes on the aroma. The taste reminded me of apricots, apples and minerals. The finish was crispy.
For the red wine flight I liked, once again a Pullus Winery wine. The 2021 Blaufränkisch (Modra Frankinja) had an opaque dark ruby color with a violet hue. The 13% alcohol wine had black fruits on the aroma. The taste of blueberries was pronounced. The medium/full bodied wine had medium tannins and a fruity finish.
For the sparkling wine flight I liked the 2018 Isteni? Winery Rare. The sparkling wine was a blend of Rumeni Plavec (80%) and Chardonnay (20%). The 11.5% alcohol wine had a yellow colored wine and long lasting streams of bubbles forming a circumferential mousse on the surface. Apple and freshly baked bread were noted on the aroma and taste. The sparkling wine had a lively mouthfeel and very long aftertaste.
After the flights, lunch was served and several wineries had additional wines for tasting. During the presentation there was mention that some Slovenian winemakers are making orange wines (white wines with extended skin contact). Ronk Winery had an orange wine. The 2020 Ronk Selectus Grigio spent seven days with juice on the skins during fermentation. This 13% alcohol Pinot Grigio had a burnt orange color with floral notes. The taste offered yellow stone fruits notably apricots. This full bodied wine had mild tannins and a crisp finish.
Kathy and I enjoyed our visit to the Slovenian Embassy and the wines tasted. We hope for the opportunity to visit and write about wineries in Slovenia.
Cheers,
Terry
