Podravje wine-growing region

Delicate dry white aromatic wines of Podravje region

Superb white wines, the oldest grapevine in the world, terraced vineyards in the hilltop village of Jeruzalem – all this and more is hidden in the Podravje wine-growing region.

The Podravje wine-growing region, which was named after the Drava River, has many answers for you. It is divided into two wine-growing districts: Štajerska Slovenija, which is the largest wine-growing district in Slovenia, and Prekmurje.

Prekmurje wine-growing district

In the land of storks and Blaufränkisch.

Prekmurje, the second smallest wine-growing district in Slovenia, is located in the extreme north-east of Slovenia on the left bank of the Mura River. Slovenians know Prekmurje for storks, thermal water springs, the largest and longest plains in Slovenia, and, of course, for the Mura River after which the district was named. But in addition to plains, Prekmurje is home to hilly Lendavske Gorice and Goričko, where vines do just fine. Prekmurje is located on the edge of the warm Pannonian Plain, so wines from this district may be rich and full bodied, and it is up to wine growers to calm their fiery character. White varieties strongly prevail, but the last trend is the indigenous Blaufränkisch which makes some of the best Slovenian reds.

Štajerska Slovenija wine-growing region

A land of rolling hills between the Alps and the Pannonian Plain.

In addition to Bled, Piran, Ljubljana, and the human fish, meandering terraced vineyards around Jeruzalem appear most frequently on postcards of Slovenia. But the heart of the largest wine-growing district in Slovenia hides many more treasures. The oldest preserved bottle of Slovenian wine – Golden Vine from 1917 is kept in Ptuj. Maribor, about 30 kilometres upstream on the Drava River, is home to the oldest grapevine in the world , while in Gornja Radgona, you can see the over 150-year-old tradition of sparkling wine production using the classical method, the first in Slovenia. The district is well-known for its fine dry white aromatic wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Traminer, while Furmint is a regional speciality, opening doors to foreign markets for wine-growers.

Without exaggerating, some of the best sweet wines in the world are produced here, which is attested by two Decanter international awards (“Best of the Show”) for a sweet wine. First was awarded to a sweet Furmint, the second to a Welschriesling.