Slovenia
There’s always one category in the Sommelier Wine Awards that we have high hopes for but turns out to be a big disappointment, and this year it was Slovenia. To be fair, it’s happened before.
A couple of times in the past we’ve seen the country look like it was breaking out of the ‘also-ran’ category – much like Turkey, Greece and Hungary all have – only to slip back again the next year. And after a good 2019, so it was in 2020.
Two Golds under £10 – a red and a white – was not a bad showing. But our tasters just wanted more. They wanted more bottles, for starters, and more excitement in general. There’s clearly good wine being made here, and that interesting mixture of grape varieties should give the country a natural and obvious USP.
But at the moment the message isn’t coming through consistently enough or loudly enough. Here’s hoping for more in 2021.
From The Tasting Teams
‘None were standing out here. It was a flight of generic wines made in a cool-ferment style and I couldn’t pull out a specific variety or a sense of place, which is a shame.’ Joshua Castle, Noble Rot
‘I didn’t find anything really exceptional here. There was a mixture of varieties and some were trying to make a Sauvignon Blanc style with green-fruit acidity. Others were kind of pithy and bitter.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader
‘The market is opening more and more to countries like Slovenia, and those delivering value for money are in demand. This flight was good, and I can easily see these wines in bistros and brasseries. It’s definitely up and coming.’ Marco Marcuzzo, Zuma Rome
‘For a sommelier, Slovenia looks like a smart choice, but I wasn’t taken by many of these wines.’ Sarah Jane Evans MW, team leader