Page 164 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 164
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
VTC 3: The Kras wine route
The Kras is a unique plateau, rising 300 metres above sea level. It is a stony landscape with
sinkholes and red terra rosa soil, the product of decomposed limestone. The sinkholes
containing vineyards are surrounded by stone walls, created by the locals to protect the
soil. Outside these walls the ground is stony, offering enough sustenance only for sparse
pine trees, tufts of grass and sumac; the latter becomes very red in the autumn. The Kras
certainly has to be experienced.
The area has no water and no At the entrance to a wine-
industry. Any dust in the air is tasting cellar in Sežana, 2006.
swept away by the burja wind Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
so that people and plants can
breathe easily. The villages are
made of stone, the roofs are
covered with slate and houses are
enclosed by stone walls. The only
way to enter the courtyards is
through stone arches. The unique
characteristics of this landscape
have nurtured artists such as
Slovenia’s important architect
Jože Plečnik, the painters Jože
Spacal and Avgust Černigoj,
and the poet Srečko Kosovel.
If Slovenia did not have this
stony area, it would lack some
of its greats. As everything else
The stylised trellis as the symbol of the Kras wine route is depicted on the memorial glasses made as souvenirs for visitors,
2006. Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Staša Cafuta.
160
VTC 3: The Kras wine route
The Kras is a unique plateau, rising 300 metres above sea level. It is a stony landscape with
sinkholes and red terra rosa soil, the product of decomposed limestone. The sinkholes
containing vineyards are surrounded by stone walls, created by the locals to protect the
soil. Outside these walls the ground is stony, offering enough sustenance only for sparse
pine trees, tufts of grass and sumac; the latter becomes very red in the autumn. The Kras
certainly has to be experienced.
The area has no water and no At the entrance to a wine-
industry. Any dust in the air is tasting cellar in Sežana, 2006.
swept away by the burja wind Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
so that people and plants can
breathe easily. The villages are
made of stone, the roofs are
covered with slate and houses are
enclosed by stone walls. The only
way to enter the courtyards is
through stone arches. The unique
characteristics of this landscape
have nurtured artists such as
Slovenia’s important architect
Jože Plečnik, the painters Jože
Spacal and Avgust Černigoj,
and the poet Srečko Kosovel.
If Slovenia did not have this
stony area, it would lack some
of its greats. As everything else
The stylised trellis as the symbol of the Kras wine route is depicted on the memorial glasses made as souvenirs for visitors,
2006. Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Staša Cafuta.
160
