Moreish Slovenia
Posted on 22 November 2013
Greetings from Slovenia. I am attending the Slovenian Wine Festival to see where this exciting wine country is heading.
Ljubljana Castle Hill seen from the Triple Bridge.
The wine buzz starts in the afternoon so I’ve had plenty of time to stroll around Ljubljana. It is a gorgeous city to spend a couple of days in. It is clean, sizeable, efficient (notably there is fast wi-fi almost everywhere), practically car-free in the city centre, making it very enjoyable. The location is stunning: the Old Town is squeezed between a medieval castle, perched on a high hill, and the meandering Ljubljanica river: there are hundreds of cosy waterfront cafés.
Ljubljana has free bikes, too.
But there is more to Ljubljana. There is an underlying feeling of quality. Everywhere, I’ve been served good tea, coffee and bread. Your wine at the bar comes in a proper wine glass. A visit this morning at the green market was a visual and gustative delight: no wonder everybody, including the most modest stalls, are proudly displaying the name of the grower. The service everywhere is excellent, and I’ve had a hard time finding someone who doesn’t speak English.
This guy only makes apple, but they are signature apples.
Slovenia as all of Europe hasn’t been exactly blooming of late, but people I talked too seemed relaxed and positive. Twenty-two years after the fall of Communism, Ljubljana looks like it’s always belonged to the West, and its mixture of Slavic, Habsburg and Italian ingredients as well as a healthy dose of self-confidence make it a great place to explore. There are some stunning wines, too – but more on this in my next post.
Disclosure: my trip to the Slovenian Wine Festival including flights and accommodation is paid for by the organisers.