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Otmar æturm Mestni trg 25 8330 Metlika phone: +386 68 58-507 |
Otmar æturm began bottling wines from his estate in 1974; in those days, the great majority of high- quality wines came from Primorje and Podravje, yet æturm decided to compete with established vignerons in the very high-quality range.
æturm has only 1.5 hectares (3.7 acres) of vineyards in the eastern part of Bela Krajina, around Sv. Ana. These are marly sites, very sunny and warm. æturm cultivates mostly "northern" red grapes: Modri Pinot, Modra Frankinja, and ¦ametna ¬rnina. Chardonnay and Rumeni Muçkat are his successful white wines.
Connoisseurs are particularly fond of his Rumeni Muçkat, but when æturm first began to grow it, the variety was not even registered for cultivation in Bela Krajina. It was the consistent excellence of æturm's Rumeni Muçkat that established this grape as a basis for high-quality wines in the area. Otmar æturm's varietal Rumeni Muçkat is dry to semi-dry, moderately fragrant, fresh, and very balanced.
Modri Pinot is another of æturm's successes: the "regular" 1993 vintage won the gold medal at the Ljubljana Wine Fair - unfortunately, the yield was low and very few wine enthusiasts still have a bottle or two stored in their cellars. The winery also produces Modri Pinot barrique and as a specialty, small quantities of late harvest Modri Pinot - a rare wine indeed since Botrytis reduces pigmentation in the grapes and appropriate colouring and characteristic fragrance succeed only under ideal conditions.
The latest of æturm's successful experiments is a fresh white wine made from ¦ametna ¬rnina.
The best æturm vintages are 1983, 1989, and 1993.
