Winemaker Notes
Kobal wines come from the Haloze appellation in Štajerska Slovenia. Since the Roman times, Haloze has been considered one of the top wine-growing sites in Central Europe. The soil of these steep slopes consists predominantly of marl, and the roots of vines that average 35 years old go deep into the ground to absorb minerality. Owner and winemaker, Bojan Kobal, is the true scientist of his craft. The amazing variety of styles of wines he produces shows that there is nothing he cannot do. The lineup of fresh Kobal whites is Bojan’s expression of Haloze fruit and varietal character. The Bajta wines are all fermented with natural yeasts only. From juicy and playful Pet Nats to the mature skin contact Belo – there is a delicious wine here for any occasion.
A picturesque, eastern European wine growing nation, Slovenia can claim one of the most ancient winemaking cultures in all of Europe. Its history dates back to the Celts and Illyrians tribes, well before the Romans had any influence on France, Spain or Germany. But it wasn’t until the 1970s that Slovenia developed a more refined, private-sector wine industry.
Today it is a powerful source of some of the industry’s most important orange wines (whites made with extended skin contact); furthermore, fully three quarters of the country’s wine production is white.
Slovenian weather is continental with hot summers and cold, wet winters. It is divided into three wine regions: Podravje in Slovenia’s northeast; Primorska in its west, close to Italy; and Posavje in its southeast. These are further divided to nine wine districts.
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.