Wine tasting room at Ducal, Slovenia

 
In the course of tasting a few of the low-intervention whites produced by Ducal, he confesses that he’s not a fan of pét-nat—too uncontrollable, too weird, too prone to over-emphatic cork-popping. (That said, Ducal’s pét-nat, which I sampled at Mitja’s latest tourism project in another part of the country, is delicious.)

This is why I smiled when I was seated at one of the minimally but impeccably set tables at the nearby Opok 27. Owner Katja Leber-Vračko explained that her project, along with her chef-husband, Gregor, near the farm on which she grew up, is out to change perceptions of family farms and wineries. Both were lawyers, but then “life happened” and they’re following this passion instead.

  (to be continued) 

Wine tasting room at Ducal, Slovenia

 He proudly points out that one of Ducal’s wines has been served at Noma.

Tim is refreshingly honest as he shows guests around the winery, parts of which are 200 years old and contain traditional amphorae imported from Georgia. He also leads Ducal’s casual tastings beside a wood-fueled fireplace (while gracefully explaining the advance-reservations-only policy for the hikers who would like to drop in). He speaks enthusiastically about his family’s estate.

 (to be continued) 

Wine tasting room at Ducal, Slovenia 2

 Even after the turmoil that led to an independent Slovenia, Lo Duca continually innovated in adventure travel, and in 2007 he was awarded a prize for the best tourism project in Slovenia.

The awards ceremony was in Maribor. Lo Duca and his wife, Joži, set out from there to see the Svečina hills and soon after made an offer on a homestead with an old wine cellar. Soon, Mitja’s son, Tim, was winding up his successful career as a professional soccer player and looking for his next challenge. After a brief course in winemaking, he’s a fledgling winemaker and a committed ambassador for Ducal.

  (to be continued) 

The tasting room at Ducal

 
That name means “naturally sparkling,” and the style involves bottling a wine before its initial fermentation is complete. Experts can explain better than I, but often pét-nats are like Champagne that’s rougher around the edges—bubbly and yeasty, sometimes good, sometimes not so good and unpredictable in the best of ways.

Styria manifests some of those ways. A good place to start is Ducal, a beautiful property with steep vineyards, a century-old centerpiece and an impressive art collection in the barrel room. Ducal has one of the best origin stories around. Mitja Lo Duca was one of the most promising mountaineers in 1980s Yugoslavia.

 (to be continued)