We always love trying a classic grape from a wine region we aren't as familiar with, and the wineries in Slovenia are one such spot we don't see all too often.
Domaine Ciringa's Fosilni Breg Sauvignon Blanc was one such bottle, and while this one had an acid hit we weren't quite fond of, it had a nice concentration of flavor all the same.
Every time we go into a new liquor store, I'm always on the lookout for wines with new-to-us grapes to help us in our quest here at The Grape Pursuit.
I did this while exploring Total Wine outside of Washington DC and stumbled upon the Slovenian grape, Pinela, in a bottle by Vipava 1894. It only lasted a few weeks in our house before we opened it, and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with how flavorful this one is.
Our journey to first trying Rebulla (commonly known as Ribolla Gialla) was an interesting one.
It started when one of our favorite restaurants in Pittsburgh, the Eastern European vegan joint Apteka (a must-try if you ever visit), expanded their wine to-go menu as the result of 2020's global pandemic. As part of this, they brought in many natural wines from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus which gave us a field day in buying obscure varietals to try.
One of them was Stekar's Rebulla from Slovenia, which we immediately opened to enjoy with a feast from the restaurant. This one was funky and, to be honest, didn't really taste like wine at all!