In terms of the global history of winegrowing, the art began early in Slovenia, some 2400 years ago: archeological finds indicate that wine was known to the Celtic and Illyrian tribes of northeastern Slovenia before the Romans arrived in our present winegrowing regions. The "Vaska situla", a 6th century B.C. Celtic vessel discovered in Vace, depicts festivities which include wine. The Celts probably made their own wine, having learned the methods of cultivation and fermentation from the Greeks. The fact that prehistoric Celts living in the present territory of Slovenia knew how to make oak barrels bound with iron belts suggests local wine production; however, definitive archeological proof is yet to be found.
Winegrowing in the present area of Slovenia truly blossomed with the Romans. Tacitus mentioned Poetovio's (today's Ptuj) wines in the 1st century A.D., and numerous archeological finds of amphorae, goblets, and glasses give hints of a flourishing production and trade. A Roman bread mold excavated near Ptuj served as the model for the registered trademark of Slovene wines.
With the decline of the Roman Empire, its viticultural methods and traditions were lost. We do not really know how Roman wines tasted, but they were certainly very different from what we drink today: the Romans kept their wine in earthenware vessels and stored it - quite contrary to contemporary practice - in warm places near chimneys, along kitchen walls, or in attics. They favoured sweet, syrupy beverages, so they sought to "concentrate" natural wine. Furthermore, they spiced their wine using lemon peel, herbs such as wormwood or sage, and even pepper. Contemporary "wines" closest to what the Romans liked are probably Vermouth, "wood" Port, and the Vino arromatizato still produced on the island of Elba.
Winegrowing almost died out in Slovenia in the 6th century A.D. when the first Slavs from the Russian steppes migrated into the area, and again later when Hungarian tribes threatened the territory of the present Podravje region between the ninth and eleventh centuries.
The Slavs, however, were not completely ignorant of wine. A Slovene pagan legend tells of a flood and its survivors. Only four men are said to have lived through the flood - the fate of three is unknown, but the fourth saved himself by climbing a vine that was growing on a high hill and touching the sky. Kurent, an important Slavic deity, observed the event and was gratified to see that the man was seeking salvation by climbing a plant dedicated to himself; he took pity and caused the waters to recede. But the saved man had to promise Kurent - in his own name and on behalf of all his descendants - that he would cultivate and venerate two plants, enjoying their fruit: the grape and the buckwheat.
Viticulture was certainly not completely forgotten during that dark period, but the turbulent times virtually annihilated trade. Consequently, there are no records to tell us about the size or quality of production. Most probably, wine was produced only for local consumption.
The craft of winegrowing returned with the Christianization of the Slavs. Records referring to vineyards and wine production can be found in the 9th century annals of the Principality of Prince Kocelj (the area around Lake Balaton in present day Hungary). Still, production remained limited until the 12th century when the Hungarian tribes withdrew eastward and the climatically ideal areas of Stajerska and Prekmurje became available for cultivation. The art of winegrowing was reintroduced by monks, and the influence of the Minorites was particularly important in the Podravje region.
From the 12th century onward, the history of Slovene viticulture is one of continuous development. Forests were cleared to obtain land for new vineyards. In the Slovene language the words "gorica" and "gorca" - originally denoting a small wooded hill - became synonymous with "vinograd" (vineyard). Viticulture even spread to areas that are far from any modern winegrowing regions, for example, historians of the 15th and 16th century praised the autochthonous wines of Upper Carniola and areas east of Ljubljana. The grapevine was even cultivated on Roznik, a small hill now in the center of Ljubljana.
The vineyards were mostly owned by the Catholic Church, the landed aristocracy, and from 15th century onward by the emerging bourgeoisie. The "Gorsko pravo" (Vineyard Law) which regulated relations between the owners and those who tended the vineyards began emerging in the 13th century; written codes dating from 1543 have been preserved.
The Phylloxera plague hit Slovenia in 1880, the first vineyards affected being those around Pisece and Bizeljsko in the Bizeljsko-Sremic area. The affliction spread quickly in all directions, first to Kapela to the northeast and then to vineyards around Izola and Piran in Primorje. In 1886, the aphid was already attacking vineyards in Haloze; by 1900, half of all the vineyards in Slovenske Gorice had been destroyed.
Before the Phylloxera plague, Slovenia cultivated some 51,000 hectares (126,000 acres) of vineyards (according to records from 1850). The plague bankrupted many winegrowers before the cure was found, and they were forced to find other employment. Many were even driven to emigrate to new lands of promise like the United States. Most of the abandoned vineyards were never revitalized: pre-World War II records show only 38,000 hectares (93,898 acres) of vineyards in all of Slovenia. Although viticulture experienced an upsurge in the postwar years, the initial course that favoured quantity over quality quickly lost momentum as even cheaper products from countries like Greece, Rumania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia flooded the markets.
In years of average yield, Slovenia produces between 800,000 and 900,000 hectoliters (21.1 to 23.8 million gallons) of wine annually from some 21,600 hectares (53,373 acres) of vineyard in three winegrowing regions: Podravje, Posavje, and Primorje. These regions are further subdivided in accordance with specifics of microclimatic conditions, soils, etc. For comparison, the total area of Slovene vineyards is approximately the same as that of the Bordeaux region and produces about half the quantity of wine. Quality and high-quality wines dominate: only some 30% of the wine produced in Slovenia is of the table wine category. The quality of Slovene wines is ensured by the large number of small producers. The most outstanding quality comes in batches of 700 to 3000 bottles, lovingly prepared by vignerons with small and immaculately tended vineyards. The Slovene Wine Growers and Producers Association imposes and enforces strict rules governing everything from the types of grapes that may be grown in specific regions to the methods of wine production and labeling.
Slovenia has always been the crossroads between north and south, east and west; travellers brought viticultural knowledge from all the prominent viticultural nations. Accordingly, French, Italian, and German influences are evident both in the growing and production of wines as well as in the terminology. Varietal wines are predominantly named after the grape, while blended wines frequently carry the name of the producing region; the terminology for high-quality and predicate wines is similar to the German.
Slovenia lies on the southern slopes of the Alps and touches the Mediterranean; consequently, although it may enjoy the benefits of "the best of both worlds," Slovene viticulture is also at the mercy of climatic unpredictabilities from both the north and the south. Consequently, the total annual output of Slovene vineyards may vary as much as 50%. There are extraordinary vintages and absolute failures, with a spectrum of "in-betweens." There have been seven extraordinary vintages in this century: 1917, 1942, 1947, 1952, 1958, 1971, and 1983; 1993 is considered excellent, 1994 was excellent only in Primorje and poor in Posavje and Podravje, and 1995 was generally poor to average.
The best vintages are stored in wine archives. While older bottles are sold only at rare auctions, some of the best wines from 1980 onward are still on sale at the archives and specialized wine shops.
