The wine-growing region of Podravje

The largest Slovenian wine-growing region, which incorporates a large part of Eastern Slovenia, produces less wine than the smaller wine-growing region of Primorska; however, these wines are of premium and high quality. White wines full of flower and fruit aromas with pleasant, refreshing acid strongly prevail. According to the sugar content, these wines belong to all categories – from dry and semi dry to semi sweet and sweet wines. Namely, in case of favourable weather conditions, numerous winemakers decide on a late harvest, harvests with ‘auslese’ or ‘beerenauslese’ or even ice wine harvests. The amount of sweet wines produced after these harvests is relatively small, but extremely valued.

Laški rizling vineyards prevail in the area where you will feel the influence of the Pannonian climate, with relatively dry, warm summers and cold winters. Other popular wines also include šipon, renski rizling and chardonnay. Among white wine varieties, sauvignon, traminec and rumeni muškat are also cultivated. Red wines are primarily represented by modra frankinja, modri pinot and žametna črnina. A small portion of žametna črnina has been produced for 400 years from the oldest vine in the world that still grows in Lent in Maribor.

The green hills of Štajerska

The wine-growing region of Podravje is subdivided into two wine-growing districts, from which the district of Štajerska is the largest in Slovenia. It extends from Gornja Radgona in the North, Ljutomer and Ormož in the East to Kozjansko and Celje in the South and West. This is a diverse area where vineyards are located at the altitude of 250 and 400 metres. Some areas belong to the best wine-growing regions in the world. Soft marl soil is very favourable for vine. Although wines are of top-level quality in the entire district, the Ljutomer-Ormož subdistrict with its excellent areas in the surroundings of Jeruzalem and the area of Radgonsko-kapelske gorice, known for its production of sparkling wines, deserve special mention. It is worth visiting the large wine cellars in this area, where amazing archive wines are kept.

Prekmurske gorice

Primarily a lowland area along the border with Austria and Hungary also features some good wine-growing areas, especially in the vicinity of Lendava and Goričko. In the last few decades, the younger generations of dedicated winemakers obtained a good reputation, as did the wines from the wine-growing district of Prekmurje, which can stand side by side with some of the best wines of Štajerska. In this district, the laški rizling is the most prevalent, while some sweet wines are also of excellent quality.