A memorial to Radikon: colleagues honor a giant of natural wines with a festival

The first Radikon memorial in Oslavia

Radikon’s Jakot, Rebula, and Fuori dal Tempo wines were served at the memorial. Photo: MMC RTV SLO

It was a late afternoon in the middle of the week, but the parking lot in front of the Radikon estate in Oslavia was already completely full. The foyer smelled of polenta, cheese, prosciutto, and warm cod spread, while inside, wine flowed in streams – amber and orange-colored natural wine, pioneered in this part of Europe by the late Stanko Radikon.

Radikon’s early death – he died of cancer in September at the age of 61 – was a shock both to wine drinkers, who consider his wines to be among the world’s best natural varieties, and the wine-and-food-loving public, among whom the warm, gregarious winemaker, who had always graciously shared his knowledge, was exceptionally popular.

Therefore, it was logical for Radikon to get a memorial. The first event took place on Tuesday, and judging from the exceptional response, more will certainly follow.

As the title of the memorial indicated (Živijo, meaning Cheers – Stanko’s favorite toast), the miniature wine festival was not a depressing farewell from a winemaking icon, who would have celebrated his birthday on December 20, but a celebration of his life and work.

When he was alive, he regularly invited his friends to Oslavia – the home of the most principled and enlightened Slovenian winemakers in Italy. On Tuesday, this tradition continued when his fellow winemakers came to the Radikon estate on the initiative of Saša, his son and heir. The people who came are the ones whom Stanko respected and are following a similar path in the production of wine.

The best from the Brda, the Karst, and Italy
About 30 winemakers came to the event, mostly from Italy, the Brda region, and Oslavia. Among them were Radikon’s neighbors Gravner, Prinčič and La Castellada, who represent the “holy quaternity” of natural wines – varieties that are famous not just in the Brda region and in Italy, but also on the other side of the Atlantic.

Also present were Čotar, Damijan Podversic, Vodopivec, Zidarich, Terpin, Škerlj, Klinec, Kante, Mlečnik, Paraschos in Ronco Severo, as well as Il Carpino, Primosic, and Movia, with his Lunar and Puro.

And of course, there was the Radikon estate. Stanko was committed to a long maceration process without added sulfur. To mark the occasion, a 2009 vintage Tokaj and a 2006 Rebula were served at the event, as was an archival delight – a 2001 Oslavia Fuori dal Tempo, a white variety of Chardonnay and Sauvignon.

The culinary portion of the evening was the responsibility of ten restaurants and suppliers – Valter Kramar from Hiša Franko was here with his cheeses, Osvaldo came with prosciutto, while La Subida, run by the Slovenian-Italian Joško Sirk (a Michelin-star chef) thrilled attendees with a venison filet and egg noodles with sausage. Rosenbar served a squid stew with polenta, Domačija Novak offered mullet with horseradish, while Devatak served grandma-style cold with gnocchi and a wild boar ragout.

All proceeds (the price was 50 euros per ticket) went to charity; they will be used for the construction of an oncology center in Aviano.

K. S.

Translated by J. B.