Vina Stoka Teran Penece Pétillant Naturel Slovenia 2022

Only five kilometers north of Trieste, along the Slovenian-Italian border region of the Kras (or “Carso” as it is called in nearby Italy) – you’ll find the Vina Štoka vineyards. This is Europe’s first cross-border wine region – though, with a total planted area of only 600 hectares, we’ll forgive you if you aren’t entirely familiar with it. The ancient oak forests that once dominated the region were pillaged by the Venetians and used to build ships, as well as the city of Venice. The rampant deforestation, coupled with the roaring Burja winds, essentially stripped away any viable topsoils – to the extent that the remaining population would have to carry pockets of earth to enclosed parcels, protected by stone walls, in order to grow food and grapes.

Here, the Stoka family occupies about 30 hectares, with roughly 8 hectares devoted to organic vineyards that grow this grape, Teran, along with Vitovska, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot. Harvesting is all done by hand, then destemming and maceration before pressing. The juice then undergoes a long and slow native fermentation in large oak barrels, followed by a full malolactic fermentation for weight and texture. The wine is bottled under a bottle cap to undergo its fizzy formation, then disgorged once to relieve a little pressure (ever seen a Pét-Nat explode?) and capped again. 

Aromas of fresh alpine, with a swath of blackberries still on the bush kick things off, followed by wild strawberries, fresh herbs, and wet rocks. The flavors follow the same vein of wild berries and spiced notes – spiced black cherries, mulberries, blood orange, clove, cinnamon, and kirsch – with a bit more chalky minerality and dusty tannins. Very clean, and loaded with pure berry flavors throughout, with fine, exuberant bubbles giving it loads of freshness. Serve it with a bit of chill, but if you’re going straight from a conventional fridge, let it hang out for 30 minutes before popping. This is a full-blown red, and even though it sparkles and fizzes, there’s some tannin in there! Treat this like you would a Lambrusco (though I prefer this, hands down). Fun, geeky, flat-out enjoyable stuff that is sure to have folks ooh-ing and ahh-ing at your next dinner party.