Slovenian wine history

Slovenian wine history dates back to before Roman times. Throughout the centuries, the country has always been praised for its good wines. Even during the Yugoslavian period, the quality remained reasonably high.

Slovene wine history can be traced back to the early Celtic and Illyrian tribes between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. They probably learned winemaking from the Greeks. In the town of Vace, in the heart of Slovenia, a bronze vessel from the 6th century BC was found, decorated with images of festivities involving wine.

In Roman times, present-day Slovenia was a well-known wine region. In the 1st century AD, Tacitus mentions wine from Ptuj, the oldest city in Slovenia. Pliny attributed the long life of Empress Livia (she lived to be 86!) to drinking 'Pucinum' wine, probably a Slovenian wine made from the Refošk grape.

Medieval fame

In the Middle Ages, the Christian Church controlled wine production. The quality remained high. In the seventeenth century, the bishop of Novi Grad praised the Rebula and the Muskat from the Slovenian city of Koper: 'In Koper they make good and very popular Muscats which they export, and they have a mild taste like those from Crete”.

Slovenia also did not escape the phylloxera that ravaged European vineyards at the end of the nineteenth century. Half of the vineyards were destroyed. Many winegrowers went bankrupt and looked for other work or emigrated to the United States. Many vineyards were never used again.

Yugoslav Cooperatives

With the founding of Yugoslavia towards the end of the Second World War, wine growing came into the hands of cooperatives – with a few exceptions in Podravje. The emphasis shifted from quality to volume.

When more and more cheap wine from neighbouring countries entered the country, the government established a trade association for grape growing and viticulture in 1967. This association carried out quality controls and issued seals of approval to wines that met the association's requirements. In this way, the quality remained reasonably high.

Rapid progress and interesting quality

After Slovenian independence in 1991, the quality improved rapidly. Most vineyards came back into private ownership. Italian winegrowers crossed the border and started making Slovenian wines. Advice from German and Austrian wine experts was eagerly received by the inquisitive Slovenian winemakers. The country is now producing excellent wines again. Unfortunately, export is still limited. This makes Slovenian wines a discovery for the adventurous Dutch wine drinker.