Page 70 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 70
Culture of Wine in Slovenia
Encounters with wines and winemakers: at wine tastings, walks, wine festivals, special excursions, etc.
Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Staša Cafuta, Miloš Toni.
cottages, as villages of stone houses clumped together are dotted around the winegrowing
areas. The houses are enclosed in walled courtyards, even further increasing their sense
of homeliness and mystery. Wine is hidden in vaulted cellars, maturing in their coolness.
The quality of wine is greatly influenced by the temperament, character, worldview and
attitude of its maker. A winegrower chooses a plot for planting the vine and the varieties, and
then decides how he will nurture them. Thus he decides in advance what wine he wishes
to have. Wine may mean to him just a product that will bring him as high an income as
possible; or he may want to take a more artistic approach that will express his attitude and
his desire to create something unique. As he gives
his product his own personal imprint, it borders on
a work of art, even though some will perhaps say
that all we are dealing with is a refined craft. But
making wine does not mean just following a certain
pattern over and over again. The natural conditions
in vineyards differ from year to year. There are dry
years and rainy ones, beautiful sunny autumns or
those where the temperature falls too early or there is
rain during grape-picking. The consistency of grapes
thus differs from one year to another. Moreover, the
winemaker may not have envisaged the appropri-
ate measures in time. When processing the grapes
and nurturing his wine he must be very careful in
order to achieve his goal. He will not succeed every
time, but what is important is what use he makes of
what mother nature has provided, so that he gets a
product that is of optimum quality under the given
circumstances.
A winegrower invests knowledge, experience, feeling The magical atmosphere, light and wines in
and love, leading to the end product – wine. Like an Herberštajn’s cellar in Juršinci. Alojz Kavčič,
artist creating a work of art into which he has put 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
the thoughts, wishes and emotions he wants it to
express, a winemaker is guided by his intuition about
how to nurture wine. He lives with and for it every
day, assessing it, thinking about it and often he has
66
Encounters with wines and winemakers: at wine tastings, walks, wine festivals, special excursions, etc.
Photos: Aleš Gačnik, Staša Cafuta, Miloš Toni.
cottages, as villages of stone houses clumped together are dotted around the winegrowing
areas. The houses are enclosed in walled courtyards, even further increasing their sense
of homeliness and mystery. Wine is hidden in vaulted cellars, maturing in their coolness.
The quality of wine is greatly influenced by the temperament, character, worldview and
attitude of its maker. A winegrower chooses a plot for planting the vine and the varieties, and
then decides how he will nurture them. Thus he decides in advance what wine he wishes
to have. Wine may mean to him just a product that will bring him as high an income as
possible; or he may want to take a more artistic approach that will express his attitude and
his desire to create something unique. As he gives
his product his own personal imprint, it borders on
a work of art, even though some will perhaps say
that all we are dealing with is a refined craft. But
making wine does not mean just following a certain
pattern over and over again. The natural conditions
in vineyards differ from year to year. There are dry
years and rainy ones, beautiful sunny autumns or
those where the temperature falls too early or there is
rain during grape-picking. The consistency of grapes
thus differs from one year to another. Moreover, the
winemaker may not have envisaged the appropri-
ate measures in time. When processing the grapes
and nurturing his wine he must be very careful in
order to achieve his goal. He will not succeed every
time, but what is important is what use he makes of
what mother nature has provided, so that he gets a
product that is of optimum quality under the given
circumstances.
A winegrower invests knowledge, experience, feeling The magical atmosphere, light and wines in
and love, leading to the end product – wine. Like an Herberštajn’s cellar in Juršinci. Alojz Kavčič,
artist creating a work of art into which he has put 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
the thoughts, wishes and emotions he wants it to
express, a winemaker is guided by his intuition about
how to nurture wine. He lives with and for it every
day, assessing it, thinking about it and often he has
66
