Page 138 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 138
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
Personal contact with wine experts
The best and the quickest way of getting to know about wine is personal contact with a
wine expert, who is a friend or at least a good acquaintance. He or she can acquaint us in
practice with every sample separately by describing the wine, drawing our attention to the
flavours and aromas, and comparing it to other samples of wine. The more this is repeated
with many varied wine samples, the better. It is good if we can visit, together with an expert,
different wine cellars and wine events so that we can get an insight into the differences
between wines. When we are fairly familiar with different wines, we have to be able to
describe to the expert what we perceive when tasting a wine and he or she can then add to
that, correct it and discuss our assessment.
Personal contacts with winemakers are an excellent opportunity for getting acquainted with the secrets of wine: the
journalist Jan Rook (the Flying Wine Writer) and Marjan Simčič, Stanko Čurin and Dušan Terčelj, Vasja and Branko
Čotar with Dušan Terčelj, the artists from the international “Art Stays” colony at Konrad Janžekovič’s cellar.
Photos: Staša Cafuta, Boris Farič, the photo library of the Ptuj Regional Museum, Aleš Gačnik.
Only after we have advanced in this way can we
venture to wine cellars on our own so that we can
be shown their wines and talk to the people working
there. In this way we establish personal contact with
the winemaker, who should also be a wine expert.
Winemakers are not interested only in merely selling
their wine, it is also important to them that their
buyers learn about it. Winegrowers in a particular
winegrowing area, village or a number of villages
are usually united into societies and all of these are
included in the Vinis association34. Societies organise
assessments of their wines, usually in spring.
Getting acquainted with the secrets of wine and
culinary specialities on wine routes and at farms.
With the Mahnič family in Dragonja, 2006.
Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
34 The Appendix contains a list of these societies together with their addresses.
134
Personal contact with wine experts
The best and the quickest way of getting to know about wine is personal contact with a
wine expert, who is a friend or at least a good acquaintance. He or she can acquaint us in
practice with every sample separately by describing the wine, drawing our attention to the
flavours and aromas, and comparing it to other samples of wine. The more this is repeated
with many varied wine samples, the better. It is good if we can visit, together with an expert,
different wine cellars and wine events so that we can get an insight into the differences
between wines. When we are fairly familiar with different wines, we have to be able to
describe to the expert what we perceive when tasting a wine and he or she can then add to
that, correct it and discuss our assessment.
Personal contacts with winemakers are an excellent opportunity for getting acquainted with the secrets of wine: the
journalist Jan Rook (the Flying Wine Writer) and Marjan Simčič, Stanko Čurin and Dušan Terčelj, Vasja and Branko
Čotar with Dušan Terčelj, the artists from the international “Art Stays” colony at Konrad Janžekovič’s cellar.
Photos: Staša Cafuta, Boris Farič, the photo library of the Ptuj Regional Museum, Aleš Gačnik.
Only after we have advanced in this way can we
venture to wine cellars on our own so that we can
be shown their wines and talk to the people working
there. In this way we establish personal contact with
the winemaker, who should also be a wine expert.
Winemakers are not interested only in merely selling
their wine, it is also important to them that their
buyers learn about it. Winegrowers in a particular
winegrowing area, village or a number of villages
are usually united into societies and all of these are
included in the Vinis association34. Societies organise
assessments of their wines, usually in spring.
Getting acquainted with the secrets of wine and
culinary specialities on wine routes and at farms.
With the Mahnič family in Dragonja, 2006.
Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
34 The Appendix contains a list of these societies together with their addresses.
134
