Page 105 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 105
Recognising a wine
given fancy names or become protected brands. Pure single varietal wines are produced
mainly by winegrowers in German-speaking countries and the countries where German
winemakers had the greatest influence. Latin winemaking countries, on the other hand,
like making blends of a number of varieties and then call them by their origin. In various
parts of Slovenia we have different blended wines, such as Vipavec, Metliška črnina,
Cviček, Bizeljčan and Ljutomerčan.
Varieties of grapes and wines produced in Slovenia
with the same names
Until the destruction of the vineyards by vine-louse during the period 1880 to 1890,
numerous varieties of grapes had been grown on the territory of the present-day Slovenia.
Unfortunately, most of those varieties produced low quality wines. Thus, Trummer29
described nearly 300 different varieties of grapes in Styria in 1844. The most widespread
were: Šipon, Belina, Ranfol, Lipovna and Kavka. Vertovec mentions that the dominant
varieties in Carniola included Žametovka, Kraljevina, Belina, Volovna and Lipovna.
In Primorska, they grew Rebula, Malvazija, Grganja, Čividin, Pergoli and Sivka; and
around Vipava Pinela and Zelen and the red Refošk.
The president of the agricultural society for Styria in Graz, Archduke Johann, by introducing
high quality white varieties, contributed towards new varieties from France and the Rhine
Valley being brought in. But a true turnaround in the selection of varieties came with the
destruction of vineyards. In 1905, the selection of varieties for Styria was chosen, which had
to be taken into account by all the nurseries cultivating vines for planting. Styria was then
divided into nine still existing districts. The following new white varieties were selected:
Šipon, Welschriesling and Zeleni Silvanec (Ger. Grüner Silvaner) as the main varie-
ties, and Modri Pinot (Pinot Blanc), Riesling and Rumeni Muškat (Muscatel) as optional
varieties. The following were the red varieties grown: Portugalka, Modra frankinja,
Žametovka and Vranek. For every district two or three varieties were defined as the main
ones and then there were others that were permitted. The renovation of the vineyards in
Styria took so little time that by 1912, according to the official Austrian statistics, 19,368
hectares of vineyards were already revitalised and yielding 449,712 hectolitres of wine, i.e.
25.6 hectolitres per hectare.
In Carniola, the change of varieties was not quite so thorough. In Lower Carniola, the
varieties used to make the Cviček wine remained: Žametna črnina, Modra Frankinja
and Kraljevina as the red varieties, with another variety added, and Welschriesling as
the white variety. In the Littoral, the old high quality varieties remained, only the mass-
produced varieties that yielded worse quality wine were abandoned. The varieties grown in
the Littoral only changed after World War Two. The same happened in Posavje, in relation
to which a law was passed allowing high quality white varieties to be grown.
In 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia adopted a law on wine and in 1935 rules on the selection
of grape varieties for the Drava province, i.e. Slovenia without the Littoral (Primorska). In
socialist Yugoslavia, a law on wine was adopted in 1965, with numerous rules regarding
the selection of varieties being added later.
29 Zupanič, 1976:17
101
given fancy names or become protected brands. Pure single varietal wines are produced
mainly by winegrowers in German-speaking countries and the countries where German
winemakers had the greatest influence. Latin winemaking countries, on the other hand,
like making blends of a number of varieties and then call them by their origin. In various
parts of Slovenia we have different blended wines, such as Vipavec, Metliška črnina,
Cviček, Bizeljčan and Ljutomerčan.
Varieties of grapes and wines produced in Slovenia
with the same names
Until the destruction of the vineyards by vine-louse during the period 1880 to 1890,
numerous varieties of grapes had been grown on the territory of the present-day Slovenia.
Unfortunately, most of those varieties produced low quality wines. Thus, Trummer29
described nearly 300 different varieties of grapes in Styria in 1844. The most widespread
were: Šipon, Belina, Ranfol, Lipovna and Kavka. Vertovec mentions that the dominant
varieties in Carniola included Žametovka, Kraljevina, Belina, Volovna and Lipovna.
In Primorska, they grew Rebula, Malvazija, Grganja, Čividin, Pergoli and Sivka; and
around Vipava Pinela and Zelen and the red Refošk.
The president of the agricultural society for Styria in Graz, Archduke Johann, by introducing
high quality white varieties, contributed towards new varieties from France and the Rhine
Valley being brought in. But a true turnaround in the selection of varieties came with the
destruction of vineyards. In 1905, the selection of varieties for Styria was chosen, which had
to be taken into account by all the nurseries cultivating vines for planting. Styria was then
divided into nine still existing districts. The following new white varieties were selected:
Šipon, Welschriesling and Zeleni Silvanec (Ger. Grüner Silvaner) as the main varie-
ties, and Modri Pinot (Pinot Blanc), Riesling and Rumeni Muškat (Muscatel) as optional
varieties. The following were the red varieties grown: Portugalka, Modra frankinja,
Žametovka and Vranek. For every district two or three varieties were defined as the main
ones and then there were others that were permitted. The renovation of the vineyards in
Styria took so little time that by 1912, according to the official Austrian statistics, 19,368
hectares of vineyards were already revitalised and yielding 449,712 hectolitres of wine, i.e.
25.6 hectolitres per hectare.
In Carniola, the change of varieties was not quite so thorough. In Lower Carniola, the
varieties used to make the Cviček wine remained: Žametna črnina, Modra Frankinja
and Kraljevina as the red varieties, with another variety added, and Welschriesling as
the white variety. In the Littoral, the old high quality varieties remained, only the mass-
produced varieties that yielded worse quality wine were abandoned. The varieties grown in
the Littoral only changed after World War Two. The same happened in Posavje, in relation
to which a law was passed allowing high quality white varieties to be grown.
In 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia adopted a law on wine and in 1935 rules on the selection
of grape varieties for the Drava province, i.e. Slovenia without the Littoral (Primorska). In
socialist Yugoslavia, a law on wine was adopted in 1965, with numerous rules regarding
the selection of varieties being added later.
29 Zupanič, 1976:17
101
