There is a certain vivaciousness in a young wine tasted straight from the barrel just after fermentation is completed that can not be found in bottled wines. One can almost taste the freshness of the grapes, and the fresh yeast adds its special flavour. The fining and filtering necessary to keep wine in the bottle takes this away, and although properly aged wines acquire new qualities, the attractiveness of youth is lost.
Slovene legislation allows the bottling of young wines that are not processed for protracted storage. The label "Mlado vino" is a warning to the buyer that this wine will not keep. Furthermore, Mlado vino can be marketed only for a limited period: from November 11th or one month after the harvest (whichever comes later) until January 31st of the year following the harvest.
A young wine may be a blend of the characteristic varietal wines of a region or area considered representative of the vintage and local viticultural specifics. Or, it may be a varietal wine produced with carbon maceration - these are the Slovene equivalents of Beaujolais Nouveau.
This French word
denotes a barrel of 224 liters (59.18 gallons) as well as an
old French method of aging wines in new (barrique-sized) casks. The
wine absorbs tannin and aromatic oils from the new wood that make the taste
fresher and slightly tart. The legend is that the process was discovered
inadvertently: during a "boom" of exporting French wines to the English,
the dealers ran out of properly "vinified" casks and began to ship their
wines in new ones - and found to their surprise that some wines actually
benefited from the treatment.
Both full-bodied red and white wines can benefit from this treatment. Red wines are aged only in new oak casks, while both oak and acacia may be used for white wines.
Controlled aging in new barrels ("solanje" or "schooling" is the term used in Slovene) takes anywhere from one to three years depending on the type of wine and its vintage.
A barrel may be used twice. Depending on the type of wine and the length of the "schooling," the first batch can produce a very intense barrique flavour that some find too sharp. The second batch of barrique wine is more mellow and balanced.
Slovene legislation assigns the barrique label only to wines aged in wooden barrels; a similar result can be achieved by soaking wood shavings in wine, a technique prohibited in Slovenia.
Among white wines, the barrique method produces its best results with Chardonnay and Sauvignon; among red wines, our Merlot Barrique or Cabernet Sauvignon Barrique in 0.5 liter (16.9 fl. oz.) bottles offer a truly special experience.
During the last two decades barrique wines have become so popular in Slovenia that new barrels are now actually more expensive than used ones, whereas new barrels were previously considered a burden for the vigneron since two batches of wine were written off as wasted in the proper preparation of a barrel.
Barrique- treated wines must first qualify as quality or high-quality wines.
Barrique wines go well with rich dishes but are primarily "conversation" wines, to be enjoyed on their own. White barrique wines should be offered at 10 - 12 °C (50 - 53.6 °F), red barrique wines at 16 - 18 °C (60.8 - 64.4 °F). Serving is somewhat special: a barrique wine should be decanted into a wide, low decanter and oxygenated thoroughly (that is, the wine should fill less than half of the decanter and should be swirled gently for several minutes). Only then is the wine served in large, long-stem glasses, a kind of "long-leg" snifter which allows the proper enjoyment of a barrique wine's unique bouquet.
Sparkling wines have been produced in Slovenia for over 150 years; a special feature on Stajerska Penina appeared in the newspaper Bleiweisove Novice in 1853. Production of sparkling wines was first introduced in Radgona by Alojz Kleinosek, who learned the craft in France.
Two methods are used to produce quality sparkling wines in Slovenia. The less demanding Methode Charmat ("tank" method) is used for Srebrna Radgonska Penina, Club Slovin, and sparkling Rebula among others. Only sparkling wines produced with the Methode Charmat or the classic (Methode Champenoise) methods which achieve at least 3.5 bar of carbon dioxide pressure in the bottle can be labeled as Penece vino or Penina (with the method of production stated). Wines that achieve a lower pressure must be labeled Biser, while those produced by the addition of carbon dioxide are labeled Gazirano vino.
The demanding Methode Champenoise (or Methode Classique) first introduced by Alojz Kleinosek is still used in Radgona to produce the superb Zlata Radgonska Penina, which is based on Chardonnay and Beli Pinot. This sparkling wine of the highest quality competes with the best French champagnes and is regularly regaled with the highest awards at wine fairs in Slovenia and abroad.
The Radgona winery has the longest tradition in producing sparkling wines by the Methode Classique, but other wineries also use this demanding method. Particularly distinguished wines come from the Barbara International winery near Bizeljsko - high-quality white, rosé, and red sparkling wines produced from Laski Rizling, Chardonnay, and Rumeni Plavec grapes (for white) and Modra Frankinja grapes (for rosé and red wines).
