Among foreigners, the Brda region has become a synonym for excellent Slovene wines. The other wine regions, where wine is of no less quality, look at the western part of Slovenia with envy. There, the skilled Brda people have created their own wine story, bringing the Brda and Slovenia onto a global stage.
One of the events, where winemakers (along with other caterers) can present themselves best is the Brda and Wine Festival. Ingeniously set in the old little streets and markets of the restored medieval town of Šmartno, this two-day festival annually takes place during the last weekend in April. In recent years the festival has become a pilgrimage site for wine enthusiasts, visited immediately after closing of the Izola Orange Wine Festival. One has to be in good shape to survive such a hard weekend.
While the Izola festival, with its Manzioli palace, is slightly more formal and draws numerous foreign connoisseurs, the Brda and Wine Festival is more relaxed: winemakers and caterers set their degustation under the arcades, at open hearths and among old Brda houses. Visitors are entertained by street musicians. On Saturday, one of the attractions of the festival was Tince, a group of dance-loving retired women, who entertained visitors by transforming themselves into cleaning ladies and swing dancers.
Some dislike the slogan Brda – Slovene Toscana, yet this Slovene region, with its hills, vineyards and old villages, is the closest to what Toscana is – at least what it had once been before the arrival of the hordes of tourists.
Despite its popularity and their reputation of being “the masters of commercial business,” the Brda region remains, for foreigners, a true hidden pearl of Europe. Sitting in the afternoon on the Klinč terrace, sipping orange gardelin, or gazing at the new Brandulin vineyards in the evening, when the view stretches as far as to the Italian side of the region, you understand why this is called the terra magica. Terra magica is a documentary film about the Brdo winemakers. Its premier will be on the 15th of May.
