The time for grape harvest is approaching. In certain parts of the Slovenian Istria it has already started, while in the Goriška brda region it will start in the end of the week, at the same time as the Agra Radgona Fair. Recently the open state wine assessment took place in Gornja Radgona, and the four large wine cellars from the Primorje region did very well indeed, receiving a number of gold and silver medals – Brda Wine Cellar even won nine awards.
This year's open state wine assessment was organized for the 40th time, and it confirmed the quality of wines produced in the cellars of the Primorje region. Director of Brda Wine Cellar Silvan Peršolja said: "Primorje wines can be considered modern wines. They are adapted to the taste of a modern drinker, and to western markets, and that fact shows at the assessments, and at the ceremonies. I would dare to say that wine producers from the Primorje region are the flag bearers of the wine trends here, in the Styria region. We are more focused on contemporary needs, and contemporary tastes."
There are a lot of different assessments, and consequently wine producers opt for the more specialized. The medals won, Peršolja explained, are important for several reasons. "Acknowledgements given by an expert jury primarily give wine producers feedback. They tell you if you are going in the right direction, and how individual markets react to your products. But the wine which has won an award also becomes more interesting for the buyers."
He added that they would like assessments not only within wine classes, but also in reference to prices, which would be important data for customers.
For this year an average harvest is expected this year in Brda and in the Vipava region, both in quantity and in quality. The harvest of grapes for sparkling wines will start in the end of this week in Brda, and in the middle of the next week in the Vipava region.
Ingrid Kašca Bucik, Radio Koper, translated by G. K.