The last weekend in March, I was invited to the 45th annual Dionysian Gathering for the North American Branch at the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City, NJ. The Dionysian Society is the world’s oldest wine society, dating back to ancient Greece. The weekend included four wine seminars, two formal dinners paired with wines, and a sparkling wine brunch.    

The first afternoon, we had two seminars: one on wines of Slovenia, and one on wines from the Languedoc region in France. This column will cover the wines of Slovenia.

Slovenia sits on the Adriatic sea, bordered by Italy to the West, Austria and Hungary to the North, and Croatia to the East. The wines we tasted were from the Movia winery in the Brda appellation, a short walk from the Italian border.

Movia Winery has been in existence since the early 18th Century, with the Kristančič family running the winery since 1820. The current winemaker at Movia is Aleš Kristančič, known for his passionate embrace of organic and biodynamic farming and ingenious winemaking skills.

We tasted six wines, beginning with a 2020 Movia Rebula made from 100% Ribolla grapes. This white is golden in appearance, with apple, lemon and a touch of vanilla on the nose. Apple, lemon, key lime, and apricot flavors on the palate, with a well-balanced finish of honey and key lime. This flavorful white would pair well with salmon, trout, sushi, seafood pastas and risottos. This received my highest rating of 17 pts. 13% ABV. Available online for about $35.

Movia makes an orange wine called Lunar, made from 100% Ribolla grapes hand harvested and fermented on their skins to impart a peach hue to this white wine. This wine is prepared biodynamically, coinciding with phases of the moon, using naturally-occurring yeasts, with no sulfur added, and no filtration. This imparts a sour beer flavor to the wine, with strong aromas of apple cider, melon, and quince, and a cloudy appearance. I rated this 15 pts.  13% ABV. Available online for $45.

After two sauvignon blancs in their line, we tasted two reds. The first was a 2016 Pinot Noir made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes. This was aged in French barriques for four years, before spending six months in the bottle. Ruby in color, with aromas of cola, cherry, and smoke; flavors of cola, caramel, sour cherry and faint salinity; silky tannins, and a salty caramel finish, this Pinot Noir was reminiscent of an Oregon Pinot Noir versus a Burgundian one. I rated it 14 pts. 13% ABV. Available online for $50.

The second red we tasted was a 2015 Veliko Rdeče, a blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Pinot Noir, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon in 2015. Dark ruby in color, with aromas of cherry, violet, and chocolate; flavors of cherry, green notes, and chocolate, and a finish of chocolate and leather, I rated this 16 pts. 12.5% ABV. Available online for $66 (other vintages may be cheaper). 

After tasting these wines, I have added Slovenia to my “travel to wine countries” bucket list, perhaps adding it to a trip to Italy or Croatia. Na zdravje!