Stocking good wine has always been a good investment; in many cases, the return is actually higher than with many other types of investment since quality wine improves with age - and this is one investment that one can drink. True connoisseurs rarely sell their stock; unfortunately, sizable profits have made investment in wine stocks so popular that stocking for profit alone has become quite widespread - this has already driven the prices of quality French clarets unreasonably high. So, for the connoisseur who appreciates quality alone, Slovene wines may be an interesting choice.
It is not very likely that Slovene wines could become as much of an investment bonanza as the French - - production is small, so name recognition can never be as widespread as that of French wines. Some Slovene archive wines do fetch very high prices at international auctions, but one should really stock the wines of Slovenia for their quality alone. Of course, one should choose only wines that improve with age. A comprehensive guide to archiving Slovene wines would require a book by itself, so here are just a few hints.
The general rule - with exceptions, of course - is that wines rich in acids and aromatics age well; alcohol-rich wines will retain their quality longer; and late harvest wines are preferable. Generally, most Slovene wines age well, but one should know which to avoid.
Quality of storage is very important. Ideally, one should keep the wine in a dark cellar with a constant temperature of 8 to 12 °C (46.4 - 53.6 °F). Constancy of temperature is more important than the level: wine will age and keep better at an absolutely constant temperature of, say, 22 °C (71.6 °F) (for example, a closet in an air-conditioned apartment) than in a shallow cellar where the temperature may vary from 6 to 12 °C (42.8 to 53.6 °F). Some wines are particularly sensitive to both variation of temperature and its level: if ideal conditions can not be guaranteed, avoid stocking Traminec, Rumeni Muskat, and Muskat Otonel. In suitable storage, however, these wines gain a distinctive quality. If your cellar is cool but variations in temperature can not be avoided, do not stock Tokaj; note, however, that Tokaj aged at a truly constant temperature is an incredibly distinguished wine.
Some wines simply do not gain by aging and should be consumed young: all "Predstavitev" or "Premiere" wines should be served as soon as possible, preferably in November when they are first offered on sale. Some other wines that should not be aged, although good vintages may be saved for up to three years: Zeleni Silvanec, Pinela, Rizvanec, and Malvazija. It is particularly regrettable that the aromatic Radgonska Ranina is also among the white wines that age very quickly and should be consumed within two to three years after fermentation. A good vintage Golden Rebula may gain somewhat from aging or may at least keep its quality, but as a general rule Rebula should not be chosen for long-term storage. Among red wines, Cvicek and Teran should always be consumed within two years of fermentation; Refosk may keep for several years but does not gain in quality.
Among wines worth stocking, Ice Wine and suhi jagodni izbor are always a safe bet - these wines are very rich in matured acids, aromatic oils, sugar, and alcohol, so they will certainly keep and mature very slowly. Because successful vintages are so rare, private stocks may frequently be the only source of these outstanding wines. Pikolit is another special wine worth saving: it gains with age and is also exceedingly rare.
The general rule is that "archivable" white wines will reach their peak in ten years, although those rich in acids will retain their quality for a further ten years or more. Late harvest Renski Rizling is always worth saving: even poor vintages improve with age, and the wine keeps for a very long time - "There are no there are no small Rieslings, just underage Rieslings." The oldest Renski Rizling in Slovenia dates from 1926, and the wine is still alive.
The acid rich Sipon is another favourite of wine archives, but the wine matures slowly. One should avoid very inferior vintages, since their rough acids may never mellow. If of at least moderate vintage, Beli Pinot, Sivi Pinot, and Sauvignon are well worth stocking: these wines gain a special nobility with age as the bouquet becomes more subtle and the taste very smooth. Only good vintage Laski Rizling should be saved, preferably semi-dry, but properly chosen and aged Laski Rizling compares even to Renski Rizling. All the Chardonnays from the Podravje region keep well. Good vintage acid-rich blends such as Janzevec, Ritoznojcan, and Halozan may also enrich your archive.
White wines from Primorje tend to be less rich in acids than their Podravje counterparts. Nevertheless, Chardonnay Barrique is worth stocking, as are other "mainland" Chardonnays; Chardonnay ricorvo does keep well, but its special quality is most evident as a young wine. The best Primorje white wines for aging are Zelen and Tokaj, but Tokaj is quite sensitive.
Among Slovene red wines, one can not fail by choosing Teranton - there are no "poor vintage" Terantons. The wine is produced only from grapes of outstanding quality and is aged for at least six years before it is offered for sale, so the wine's sensitive "juvenile" period is spent under professional supervision. Another safe choice is Modri Pinot - the quality is always good and poor vintage is only reflected in lower quantities. One can hardly fail by stocking Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Frank, or their blends, although one should choose the producer carefully. All Cabernets should be aged for at least five years, and Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique is always a safe choice. Good vintage Merlot ages well, although Merlot Barrique is safer. One should take special care with Barbera: the characteristic quality of Barbera from the Vipava Valley is in its lightness. It really should be treated as a medium-heavy white wine and not aged over ten years - although good vintage Barberas from other areas age well beyond.
Among the blended red wines, Metliska Crnina is certainly the best choice for your archive - it will reach its peak in ten to twelve years and will preserve its quality for over thirty years. The heavy, Bordeaux-type red Capris ages as well as its French cousins.
Choice of vintage is important but should not be overemphasized; furthermore, one should really note that the quality of a vintage may mean a different thing to the producer than to the connoisseur - the former is interested in both quality and quantity. Excellent vintages frequently coincide with lower yields due to spring frosts or scant summer rainfall. The 1994 vintage is an interesting example: a hot and rainy June disturbed the vine during the pollinating period and more rain in July further reduced the yield - the regular harvest was a catastrophe for the growers. However, the fewer grapes that ripened were more aromatic, particularly the late harvests, so 1994 wines will be jealously guarded by connoisseurs.
Nature seems to be becoming increasingly generous to winegrowers: the frequency of excellent and very good vintages has been increasing since mid-1980's. Since 1970, the following vintages have been considered excellent or outstanding: 1971, 1983, 1990, 1992, and 1993; judged very good were 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1991. Of course, these vintage judgements apply in general, as averaged values: individual sites may experience outstanding vintages even in bad years, and vice versa.
Even if you do not have an suitable cellar or sufficient space for specialized refrigerators, you can still own a wine archive - in a "wine bank." Several notable producers of high quality wines - for example, Kupljen in Jeruzalem - sell "wine certificates"; these are certificates of ownership for specific sets of bottles that the "banker" will store, supervise, and maintain for you to the highest standards of wine archiving. When the wine reaches its peak, you will be invited to "cash in" your certificate - either by selling the bottles at the current market price or by consuming the nectar. Of course, the owner may sell or consume the wine at any time or trade the certificate. The "stock holder" still accepts the risk of choosing the suitable wine for archiving (although the "banker" will offer his expert advice), but the "banker" guarantees quality storage and monitors the progress of aging with samples from his own stock of the same vintage.
