One of the most impressive experiences of wine Slovenia is undoubtedly a visit to the cellars of Puklavec Family Wines, one of the largest and most technologically advanced wineries in Slovenia. The cellar holds as much as 4.7 million litres of wine, and the marriage of modern technology and rich winemaking tradition is particularly compelling. Visitors have the chance to see the stainless-steel installations, the gravity-flow cellar and a wine archive that hides a genuine liquid treasure.
The archive cellar guards 250,000 bottles of wine, some of them decades old. The oldest vintages date back to 1959, while one of the finest was 1971 — and the Šipon from that year is still in splendid form. Slovenians are increasingly adapting production to modern trends and to a changing climate, so today the focus rightly falls on fresh white wines such as Sauvignon, Šipon and Muškat, while they experiment with organic viticulture and low-intervention winemaking.
Although the region produces numerous varieties, particular attention is paid to Šipon — synonymous with our Moslavac (known internationally as Furmint) — which has become something of a signature of this part of Slovenia. In recent years this wine has been enjoying a great revival among wine lovers thanks to its character, structure and freshness. Wines from Jeruzalem are ever more popular with Croatian wine enthusiasts, and Croatia is at the same time the largest export market for Puklavec wines.
Gastronomy with a view over the vineyards
Set among the vineyards of Slovenia’s Jeruzalem, gostišče Taverna perfectly unites gastronomy, wine and nature into an unforgettable experience. A large terrace ringed by green vineyards offers a view over a stretch of the region with an almost cinematic atmosphere. The owner of this inn — which has ten rooms for a comfortable night’s sleep among the vines — is Dino Kruhoberec, whose dedicated work has brought Taverna to unite local produce, traditional recipes and top wines from the surrounding cellars.
The menu is dominated by the specialities of Slovenian Štajerska (Styria), typical dishes that best represent the local kitchen. One speciality you simply must try is “meso iz tünke” — traditional pork preserved in lard, once an indispensable winter staple of Slovenian households. Also especially popular are the Prlekija steak with buckwheat žganci, the baked “Taverna” potatoes, and homemade soups of fresh mushrooms with buckwheat dumplings. For those after something fine and sweet, the most frequently ordered are Prlekija gibanica and postržjač, an old-fashioned cake characteristic of this region.
photo: Nikola Zoko
