Where is Slovenia?

This is perhaps the most common first question we get when presenting our wines. A little background and a simple map will provide you with enough information for you to explain it to others when they ask where the wine they are drinking came from.

Slovenia is one of Europe’s youngest nations with one of its most interesting histories. It was part of the Roman Empire, was conquered by Napoleon, formed the southwestern border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the northernmost frontier of Yugoslavia. When Yugoslavia disintegrated in 1991, Slovenia was the first republic to gain true independence, fighting a brief ten-day war before the Yugoslav army was driven off. It has been peaceful and prosperous since.

Slovenia rests at the crossroads of Western and Central Europe – north is Austria, with Italy to the west, Hungary east and Croatia to the south. A short stretch of the Adriatic Sea forms Slovenia’s picturesque, rocky coastline. The Julian Alps rise along the Italian and Austrian borders, with wooded hills and fertile fields predominating as one moves south and east, and lush valleys rolling west toward the sea.

View our Photo Gallery of Beautiful Slovenia

Why haven’t I heard about Slovenian wine before?

Well, it’s pretty simple really. Slovenia is a very small country with only two million people. Compared to most wine-exporting nations, they just don’t produce much. And what they do produce, they drink – Slovenia has the fifth highest wine consumption per capita in the world. In fact, we had to convince many of the smaller producers to export at all – they have been able to sell all of their wines domestically, with some vintages in extremely high demand.

Many Slovenians have been quite enthusiastic about our efforts to introduce Slovenian premium-quality wines to America, but after expressing this thought have quickly followed with a question: You’re not going to take too much, are you? So the short answer is simply that they’ve been keeping these fine wines for themselves – until now.

Does Slovenia have a tradition of winemaking?

Absolutely. Slovenia is home to the oldest continuously producing vine in Europe – it is over four hundred years old. Under the various governments that controlled Slovenia over the years, winemaking continued. Certainly, with the influence of winemaking cultures like the Austrians and the French, it is no surprise that Slovenian vineyards have been producing high quality wines for many, many years.

This tradition has been carried on by a new generation of private winemakers that have grown with the new freedom afforded for individual enterprise under the democratic government. These wineries have drawn on the history of Slovenian winemaking and agriculture, and the methods and technology that have been developed in the great wine producing regions of the world to create their own unique styles that rival the best wines found anywhere – some wineries have won well over one hundred medals in international competition.

What qualifies a wine to be included in the line of Slovenian Premium Wines?

Slovenian Premium Wines are carefully selected for their quality. We have traveled to the all wineries whose wines we offer, spoken personally with the winemakers and tasted all the wines. We sell only those wines that meet or exceed our high standards.

Where can I get Slovenian Premium Wines?

Slovenian Premium Wines are available in the United States through Tri-Wines, Inc.