Ekološka kmetija Valentan

Metka and Simon met us as we pulled up to their home and immediately headed out to the vineyards. They have 20 hectares of land, but only 4 are committed to vines. The rest are wild forests, fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens, grains and animals to name a few. Along with their two children, Aleks and Filip, and grandparents, the whole family works and subsists on the farm. As Metka put it, “We live from our farm.” In addition to hosting large groups, they also sell their produce, milled grains (buckwheat, spelt, wheat, millet), jams, pumpkin seed oil, ciders, vinegar, and so on at markets in the capital and locally in Štajerska.

They started planting PIWI (Moscaris and Souvignier Gris) grapes in 2016 for the same exact reason - less spraying, less petrol, less soil compression, keeping labor costs down, and letting their children play and eat freely on their land. Making the top 10 in German words never to break through in the states, “Pilzwiderstandsfähige Rebsorten” or PIWI basically translates to “fungus resistant grape varieties.” These are not to be confused with GMOs or Hybrids. These are bred Vitis Vinifera and have been an area of study since the 1890s when the goal was to defeat phylloxera. PIWIs are basically a sped up version of what happens in nature. And while the Souvignier Gris is something we’ll get into later, it is far from the only thing making Valentan a compelling estate. We are also delving into old vine Renski Rizling (Rhine Riesling), Sauvignon Blanc, Laški Rizling (Welschriesling) and Modra Frankinja (Kékfrankos/Blaufränkisch).

The soil is super rich in marl resulting in impossibly stony soils. It’s difficult to imagine this being a vineyard before planting as the photo illustrates. However, once the high-density vines get established, the vines become remarkably tolerant. Surrounded by wild forest, other crops and animals, the biodiversity contributes to immunity as well. Metka and Simon have influenced a number of their neighbors to convert to organics and lead classes for children as well. Under vine cultivation is key along with natural cover crops and little to no tilling. One thing worth noting is that they tend to pick late and are not afraid of botrytis. They are certainly not in the pick early for pH camp. They want ripe developed flavors and their farming is a testament to being able to do so.