Broadcasting from the vineyards of Slovenia

Breaking news

From its very beginnings, television has been a mass communication medium for breaking news about politics and economics, national and international events, and for sharing cultural and sporting achievements. But public service broadcasters are also, by law, obliged to notify the public of important local events from all the regions of the country. Considering that there are more than ten regions in Slovenia, it seems reasonable to acknowledge that public service television could never cover every event from every region equally, so some Slovenians will always feel deprived of news they consider important. This doesn’t seem to be the case, though, when it comes to reporting autumn grape harvesting in Slovenia. As the harvest differs from region to region, happening from late summer to late autumn, there seems to be a steady flow of reports covering the grape harvest in our archives. Is this just a coincidence, or might national pride about Slovenia’s wine industry have something to do with this? Let’s find out.

It's harvest time!

In early autumn, vast vineyards are laden with sweet grapes that glisten in the autumn sun and invite hardworking hands to pick their tender fruit. In general, August, September, and October are the prime time of the annual grape harvest for most winegrowers, but the final decision on when it’s time for harvest comes down to weather conditions and the grapes' ripeness. When the moment comes, an invitation to “Come, come to harvest!” – this is the traditional call for the grape harvest – echoes through vineyards all over Slovenia.

Since the earliest times, grape harvests have been social events. When the grapes are ripe enough and contain the right quantity of sugar, the whole family shows up, along with those who come to help them pick the sweet grapes. Harvest shears are distributed and grape picking begins. Often an accordion player is nearby, making the work and gathering even more enjoyable. Let’s listen to one from the grape harvest in Bizeljsko from 1995.

No accordion is playing in the next clip, as there is only a silent version available in our archives, but one can imagine the same joyful atmosphere at the end of September 1963, during a grape harvest in the modern terraced vineyards of Brda Agricultural Cooperative. All these vineyards are arranged on wire support and high cultivation. We might easily imagine this black and white clip in modern colour, and be looking at the grape harvest of today. Look at the cheerful faces of the girls and their thin fingers that run from cluster to cluster to fill the barrel with grapes. Full barrels are then taken by strong men and shaken in special-type tubs loaded on tractor-trailers. These tubs allow for hasty manipulation later during pickup. From morning to evening, tractors drive towards Dobrovo cellar where this precious fruit is pressed into a sweet must. It is very important that harvested grapes are sent safely and quickly for processing.

From vine to wine

The origins of wine production in Slovenia stretch back to Roman times. Some even claim that winemaking in Slovenia existed long before the Romans introduced winemaking to France, Germany, and Spain – that it dates back to the time of the Celts and Illyrian tribes. It's no wonder then that Slovenia has such a rich winemaking history and more than 30,000 winegrowers and wineries, producing more than 80 million litres of wine annually from its 18,550 hectares of vineyards. ¹

Slovenia has nine wine districts and three wine regions. Each region has its way of flavouring wine with its soil composition, climate, and wine-growing tradition. Whether you prefer white or red, full-bodied or light, dry or sweet, you can be sure of finding your favourite wine in one of the three wine-growing regions of Slovenia. With about twenty wine routes to follow, one is bound to find a drop or two to stimulate his or her appetite.

Let’s take a look at three wine regions and see some TV broadcasts covering different aspects of the grape harvest, wine growing, or wine production from different periods.

Podravska wine region

The Podravska wine region in the northeast of Slovenia is the largest and it is divided into two wine districts: Štajerska Slovenija and Prekmurje. The region is synonymous with white wine and is most known for producing some world-class dessert wines, including ice wines as well as Slovenia’s first sparkling wines. Elegant aromatic white varietals shine here, well-suited to the miner-rich soils and more continental climate. The climate is characterised by modest temperature differences between day and night, relatively dry summers, and fairly harsh winters which gives the wine its predominantly floral and fruity aromas and better drinkability. The best-known varieties are Blaufränkisch wines, Sauvignon blanc, Rheinriesling, Pinot Gris, Gelber Muskateller, Traminer, and Chardonnay.

The following black and white silent clip is from Jeruzalem. The wine-growing country of the Ljutomer-Ormož Hills in Štajerska Slovenia has always offered ideal conditions to produce white wines. But the best vineyards in the region are located on the hills that surround the village of Jeruzalem – the jewel of the region. This is where some of the best wines are born. The clip from 1959 depicts the grape harvest from the very beginning with the arrival of the grape pickers till the very end when the sweet must is pressed.

But it is not in this picturesque landscape where one would find the oldest vine. The oldest vine in the world resides in Maribor, right at the centre of the old town, where it has been growing for over 400 years. It’s winding its way up the front of the building at 8 Vojašniška street, now a museum Hiša stare trte. The museum is dedicated to teaching visitors all there is to know about the wine culture of the Štajerska Slovenia wine district. The Old Vine, with an age that spans over 400 years, won its place in the Guinness World Records by being the oldest noble vine in the world still bearing grapes.

Posavska wine region

Posavska wine region is the smallest of the wine-producing regions in Slovenia. It is a less densely planted region and has not yet developed the reputation that Primorska or Podravska Wine Region has. It is divided into three districts, from the biggest one in the Dolenjska region to the two smaller districts of Bizeljsko-Sremič and Bela Krajina.

Reputation achieved or not, there was always room to report on the grape harvest. A longtime TV correspondent from Posavje Goran Rovan filed this excellent report on the last days of the 1999 grape harvest.

The best-known varieties of wines from the Posavska Wine Region are Blaufränkisch and the Gelber Muskateller varieties, Cviček and Bizeljčan. Dolenjska district in particular prides itself on traditional light, reddish wine called Cviček that boasts official EU protection. Cviček is a fresh, light and slightly sour wine with a relatively low alcohol level. It is a blend of Modra Frankinja, Žametna Črnina, Krajevina, Laški Rizling, Rumeni Plavec and Zeleni Silvanec.

The late nineties and early 2000s were years of Slovenia’s integration into the European Union. In December 1997 Slovenia was included in the first round of countries for the start of negotiations that ended at the end of 2002 with an agreement on Slovenia's accession conditions. In May 2004, Slovenia became a full member of the EU after completing the accession process. There and then, a whole new market opened up for viticulture business opportunities. In 2004, a new potential market was recognised, as we can observe in the next clip talking about Cviček entering the EU market.

Primorska wine region

Slightly smaller in the area but producing up to 30% more wine than the Podravska region, the Primorska region is the most developed of the three with an annual output of over 25 million litres. There is a very strong Italian influence in this area, in language, food, culture, architecture, and viticulture.

Sharing many of the same mineral-rich soils and mesoclimates as neighbouring Friuli-Venezia, the region is well-suited to viticulture. It has a climate that benefits from its proximity to both the Mediterranean and the Alps, meaning the area is sometimes called Slovenian California. Its four districts are Goriška Brda in the north, Vipavska Dolina (Vipava Valley) further south, Kras (Karst) along the border with Italy, and Slovenska Istra in the area on and adjacent to the coast.

The wine-growing region of Primorska is renowned for strong, dry wines. In Goriška Brda, directly on the border with Italy, renowned Slovenian winemakers produce white wines, such as Rebula, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris, and red wines, such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the Vipava Valley, in addition to the established white and red wines, you can also taste indigenous wines, such as Zelen, Pinela, and Pikolit. The Karst Region is the area where a special Slovenian wine is produced – Teran. This wine has a very full flavour due to the red Karst soil (terra rosa). In the Slovenska Istra, known for the white Malvazija wine, quite a bit of the red Refošk wine is also grown.

The last correspondence from Primorska Wine Region sums up the results of the 1995 grape harvest and its wine quality.

Drink a little wine… you’ll feel better

Slovenians certainly love their wine. In fact, it’s said that 94% of all wine produced in Slovenia is consumed by its residents. Wine consumption in Slovenia is around 42 litres per capita per year, among the highest in the world.

In the past, people even used wine to pay taxes or as a means of exchange. But today, we use it to toast at crucial turning points in life. Even our anthem Zdravljica is actually a toast and it is one of the few non-militant anthems.

So, let’s raise a glass to Slovenian viticulture, winegrowers and the vast variety of Slovenian wines that are mostly unknown due to the simple fact they are just too good to be left any to export. Na zdravje!

This blog is part of the editorials of Europeana Subtitled, a project which enabled audiovisual media heritage to be enjoyed and increased its use through closed captioning and subtitling.

¹ Source: https://www.ovinu.si/zemljevid, Ministrstvo za kmetijstvo, Statistični urad RS, Register pridelovalcev grozdja in vina.