Slovenia's Dveri Pax at LIWF‏

I was impressed enough with a number of Slovenian wines I have had recently to want to try out a few more at the London International Wine Fair.

A small country wedged between Austria, Italy and Croatia, Slovenia nonetheless has a number of different wine-growing areas and I opted for the one nearest the Austrian border.

Having the same terroir as Austria's Styria, with high elevation resulting in a distinctive ripe-yet-crisp style for whites, this region is known locally as Štajerska Slovenija.

I started with a Šipon (aka Hungary's Furmint) from their entry-level Benedict range . Grown on sandy clay soils, it was crisp, yet ripe with elderflower aromas. It has a Decanter Silver.

A Riesling was well made with lots of lime fruit and fresh apples-and-pears acidity. This one has a Decanter bronze and an IWC Silver.

The winery's cellars

Moving up to the Admund range, the 2007 Šipon "Ilovci" was toasty, smokey and mineral with focused yet rounded acidity and a richness from 18 months on the lees and aging in Slavonian oak (Decanter Silver).

Aerial view

The final wine, a 2009 Riesling "M", was more intense, focused and fuller than the earlier example.

It spends 6 months on the lees and a further 9 months in tank. The vineyard is near Maribor (hence the "M" name, somewhat confusingly the same as a Grüner Veltliner from Austria's FX Pichler) where the subsoil is marl, resulting in less fruit but more minerality.

Surprisingly, this last one does not seem to have any awards.

Recommended wine

These are all well-made and interesting; based on the cellar-door prices quoted, they also represent good value, too - especially when compared to next-door Styria in Austria.

For an introduction to Slovenian wines, I recommend the Riesling from the Benedict range - €8.50.

The wines are imported into the UK by Savage Selection.

Links

Dveri Pax - http://www.dveri-pax.com/

Savage Selection - http://www.savageselection.co.uk/

All images from Dveri Pax website