The hills of Bela krajina have been the home of vine for almost thousand years. Diversity of the climate and soil areas allows a wide selection of wines. If it was true in old times that only high-quality sorts grow in Bela krajina, today we are proud to present a wide selection of top-quality wines.
The most famous brand of Bela krajina is Metliška črnina PTP. The wine that satisfies even the most demanding drinker with its softness, drinkability and balance. This wine is a blend, consisting of two-thirds of modra frankinja (Blue Franconian) and one-third of žametna črnina (Velvet Black), and the rest is portugalka (Portugal vine) or šentlovrenka (St. Lawrence vine) or Zweigelt.
Blue Franconian is one of the most frequent red sorts. Following the most recent studies that found a high content of antioxidants, this wine has become even more appreciated. It is of a dark ruby colour, with slightly higher alcohol content, low acid and recognisable tannins. It goes nicely with Bela krajina cuisine, such as roast piglet, lamb, dried meat delicacies, and games.
A special story is new portugalka wine that pampers the friends of new red wine already in September. It is distinguished by its freshness of fruity aroma and softness of full taste.
Selection of white sorts is very varied. After 1987, when planting permits for high-quality sorts were issued, winegrowers have planted their vineyards by Muscatel, Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Kerner, Gray and White Pinot, Rhine Riesling and Traminer. The most frequent white sorts are kraljevina (Kingdom) and laški rizling (Welschriesling), which are the main components of Belokranjec PTP wine. This is the most popular wine among people of Bela krajina and accompanies them at all times, from birth to death.
When seeking visibility among wines of Bela krajina, we cannot ignore Muscatel, which thrives best in selected southern slopes and marlaceous stone soil. This group also includes predicate wines that have brought growers a great international reputation during the last thirty years. Through these wines, Bela krajina has become a real treasure of boutique wines for gourmets.
THE METLIKA WINERY
Our predecessors founded the first agricultural consortium in Metlika already over 100 years ago, on November 14, 1909. The KZ Metlika has 26 acres of new vineyards, to be found at an ideal location between the slopes of Vinomer and Vidošiči, around the famous church of St.Anne. For its needs, the winery buys grapes from its partners and collaborators. Today, the Metlika winery is one of the most important pillars of the KZ Metlika. The winery is enormous, 108 feet long, tunnel-like, entirely underground, with a constant temperature between 12 and 13 °C, a capacity of 3.4 million litres, and an annual production of about 750.000 litres of wine. The year 1968 is of particular importance for the development of the viticulture in Bela Krajina, when the new brand “Metliška črnina” was introduced, so that the winery became its birthplace. Metlika extended the limits of Slovenian wines in 1981, when it produced Slovenia’s first rosé wine, through a combination of Franconian Blue and Black Velvet. Even further progress for the viticulture of the time in the former Yugoslavia was reached when in 1986, under the leadership of Julij Nemanič, Metlika became the first winery of the former Yugoslavia to produce ice wine.
More: www.kz-metlika.si
VITICULTURE AND WINEMAKING PRUS
The Prus family home in Krmačina near Metlika emanates the cheerfulness of pleasant everyday life. The three generations living under the same roof symbolize the family winemaking tradition. Although the vineyard of their late grandfather was not as big as it is today, he was nevertheless a member of the The Drašiči Communal Vineyard Cottage (soseska zidanica Drašiči).
DOLC VINEYARDS
The DOLC 1834 vineyard farm and winery comes from the Drašiči village, near the River Kolpa and the Croatian border. The home tradition of grape production on 8 hectares of land and cellar keeping is already very long, as testified by the year of establishment of the wine cellar, the vineyard cottage. What makes it special is certainly the hospitality because, to this day, its door has never been closed and no traveller has ever had to leave the Dolc place thirsty. Today, their offer of wines includes a wide range of quality, superior and predicate wines
Contact: Anton Vinopivec, Drašiči 13, Metlika, tel.: +386 41 788938
THE HOUSE OF WINE PEČARIČ
Bela krajina is home to our 20,000 vines, which stand as a testament to the power of the sun and the soil. Diversity in the vineyard and skilfulness in the wine cellar enable us to produce still as well as sparkling wines and dry as well as naturally sweet wines. Through our presentation you will become acquainted with our wines and if you like, we can prepare cold cuts with home-made dried meat and cheese and a flat cake.
More: www.pecaric.com
BOUTIQUE WINE CELLAR ŠTURM
The Šturm wines reign in the immediate vicinity of Vidošiči, on the slopes below the St Ana’s church, from where an amazing view on vineyards, hillsides and surrounding churches can be seen. Šturm wines can be found in their winebar Grajska klet in Metlika Castle and also in the Šturm Winebar in the Qulandia Novo mesto shopping center. On average they produce approximately one hundred thousand litres of wine per year and cultivate 8 hectares of vineyards. One special wine story lies undoubtedly in that of the Yellow Muscat.
More: vinasturm.si, metliskacrnina.si
ŠUKLJE WINE CELLAR
Our story begins in the distant year of 1895. At that time, our ancestor, Matija Šuklje, bought a hill above the village for 140 goldinars, planted a vine and build a house. Love for earth and vine has been transferred from son to son, so today we can offer you exceptional quality, result of respect to wine and new knowledge. We are managing 6 hectars of vineyards and producing top-quality wines. With our excellent team of enologist, we are putting a lot of knowledge in our wines. Father is in charge for the production of best quality grapes grapes with his 30 years of experience. But in the cellar, the daughter, Katja Šuklje, PhD in viticulture, is managing the wine making procedures. Katja is top researcer and profesor of viniculture, who has left her mark on the world scale. We are mostly known for production of top quality Blau Frankisch, for which we have received numerous awards.
More: www.suklje.com, Facebook
FAMILY MAVRETIČ
Wine growing and winemaking have been the Mavretič family tradition. In the 50’s, our cellar in Drašiči was abundant with the white wine from Bela krajina (varieties of Portugieser, Welschriesling, Ranfol and metliška črnina (produced from varieties of žametna črnina and Blue Franconian. In the 80’s and 90’s, we renewed all vineyards. In our wine cellar in Vidošiči, we house Yellow Muscat, Green Silvaner, Chardonnay, Kerner, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon and Gamay. We produce regular harvest, late harvest, selections, berry selections, dry berry selections and ice wines. Our wines range from dry to dessert wines.
More: mavretic.si/en/
THE JAKLJEVIČ TOURIST FARM
The Jakljevič Tourist Farm is nestled among the vineyards, in the vicinity of the Church of St. Urban. We can accommodate larger parties and offer lodging as well. Our guests can enjoy authentic local cuisine and a variety of local wines from our wine cellar. We are looking forward to your visit!
More: www.jakljevic.si
HOMESTEAD BAJUK
Homestead Bajuk is located in the south-east region of Slovenia called Bela krajina, only 6 kilometers from Metlika. We are proud of our outstanding wine cellar, which opens its treasures five meters underground. In such depths of good wine cellar reaches optimum temperature. In the cellar we will be happy to prepare a wine tasting.
On Homestead Bajuk we produce our own meat and dry meat products. You can enrich your meal with pogača, a bread typical for Bela krajina or dessert. We also prepare meals for tourists and groups, as well as cold meat antipasto platters, barbecue and our specialty – pork or lamb on the spit.
More: http://bajuk.si
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD DRAŠIČI VINEYARD COTTAGE
The Drašiči neighbourhood with the vineyard cottage neighbourhood emerged after the 17th century. In the vineyard cottage, which is a gathering space of the village community, they used to keep the wine gathered from members of the neighbourhood, and this wine was then lent and sold to villagers. Wine debts were cut on tallies and later recorded in debt books. Upon repayment of debts, they collected the wine interest in kind, which amounted to 50 % (for a litre of borrowed wine, it was necessary to pay back one litre and a half). When villagers ran out of wine in their own wine cellars, they usually borrowed it in the vineyard cottage. They repaid their debts soon after harvest, when the must had not become wine yet, so that it could ferment in common barrels in the neighbourhood’s wine cellar.
For several years, they have used this cellar to show the operations of the only „bank“ still alive – a rental of common, neighbourhood’s wine in Bela krajina – to groups of tourists, and offer them to taste and buy the wine produced by local winegrowers
More: www.soseskadrasici.net