Puklavec and Friends

Two wines from Slovenia's Puklavec available at Waitrose

For those who either weren't around or weren't paying attention at the time, Slovenia was formerly part of a country called Yugoslavia that fell apart in a spectacular and rather grisly manner in the 1990s.

Wedged in between Austria and Croatia with just a few miles of coastline, Slovenia has always considered itself more "Little Austria" than southern slav.

Puklavec dates back to 1934 - politically prehistoric in local terms, and has existed in at least three different countries.

Geo-politics aside, of these two wines, only the white is actually Slovenian; and it is typically Slovenian in being technically well-made and combining a southern fullness with the freshness of altitude.

The red is from Macedonia, another former Yugoslav country with a possibly even more complicated history than Slovenia, and a new wine area to me. I have no idea of Macedonian regionality, so this wine needs to be judged on its own merits.

puklavec & friends Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio 2017 crisp, aromatic, fresh and mineral; yellow stone fruits, white flowers and a shake of white pepper. A wine of tension and contrast, full yet fresh, ripe yet crisp.

Good.

Drink as an aperitif or match with an aromatic starter.
 
puklavec & friends Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2017 coffee-cherry merlot nose, bramble fruit and plum with spice and a sour-cherry rasp; savoury and supple with gentle yet firm tannins.

Good.

Drink with red meat.