The Koper area lies along the Adriatic coast, with the port of Koper its largest city. The soils here are mostly derived from flysch but with a higher content of limestone than the Brda area. In the sites around the port of Izola, Eocene limestone is predominant. Sandstone admixtures contain calcium carbonate and silica.
Most of the area is Mediterranean, with the strong climatic influence of the sea; the small sub-area of the Savrin hills is submediterranean. The climate is mild, the summer heat is moderate with occasional droughts, and winter frosts are virtually unknown in this area. The grapes of this area are the earliest to ripen of all the regions.
The Koper area has 3800 hectares (9390 acres) of absolute viticultural sites. Vineyards are planted mostly on flat terrain, either on higher plateaus or on the coast. Although the sun is as hot as in the Kras area, arbour vineyards are less frequent since the soils of the area are deeper and retain more moisture than those of the Kras area; furthermore, even during dry periods, the soil tends to desiccate more slowly because of the humid air from the sea. In these climatic conditions the vine tends to grow profusely with a high yield. The grapes mature quickly, producing abundant sugar but few acids and aromatics. To improve the quality of wine, some vignerons sow grass between the rows in some vineyards to reduce the yield and make the grapes mature more slowly: the resulting wine is more aromatic than those produced by weeded vineyards, with a pleasant fruity flavour.
Red wines dominate. Refosk is the most widely cultivated grape, the slight differences in climate producing two varieties: Refosk from the coast is more mature with slighter acids and richer in colour; wine from the "continental" part of the area is heavier, with more acids and a distinctive character. Cabernet Frank, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot are also very popular: in this area, these wines are particularly rich, lively in colour, moderate in alcohol, vivacious, and not too heavy. In good years, the Koper area's Cabernet Sauvignon is arguably the best produced in Slovenia.
The predominant white wine is Malvazija - very fresh, rich, with a pronounced character. Chardonnay is also very popular - the Chardonnay wine from vineyards up to ten meters above sea level are cultivated and marketed separately as ricorvo to distinguish it from the labor Chardonnay grown in higher vineyards; these qualifiers are derived from names of two characteristic sites.
The best known blended wines of the area are the white Capris, a blend of Rebula, Malvazija, Chardonnay, and Rumeni Muskat - an aromatic, semi-dry wine with an intriguing bouquet; the red Capris blended from Merlot, Refosk, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Frank - a dry, heavy, full- bodied wine frequently compared to Bordeaux red wines; and the dry red Koprcan - a blend of Refosk, Merlot, Cabernet Frank, and Gamay.
