Slovenian Riesling

Had a glass of Sumenjak renski riesling at a resto yesterday. The menu listed it as a mix of renzsi and riesling, but when I put renski riesling into Google translate it comes back as rhine riesling (renzsi doesn’t translate). Anybody know what I was drinking?

Sumenjak is a winery in Slovenia. The wine didn’t taste much like riesling. It was slightly orange hued and I think a “natural” wine. Interesting, if a bit unusual.

I have a Egon Mueller Slovenian Riesling that I bought directly from him when he was pouring at Rieslingfeier a few years ago. If I recall, it was no where near as good as his normal wines, but still have Riesling characteristics. I bought it as a curiosity.

That’s from Slovakia and not Slovenia…

Well, Peter…the color suggests it might have been a skin-contact white. In Slovenia, many of the whites are made w/ skin-contact.
Not familiar w/ this producer. Comes from Northern part of Slovenia near Maribor. The ZevRovineSlctns mentions it has some skin-contact.
ZevRovine specializes in natural wines.
Tom

ZevRovine site says it’s Slovenia.
Tom

No, he meant Jay’s Egon Müller Riesling.

edit: Or that’s what at least I thought, since that non-German Egon winery is located in Slovakia.

I tried that myself (in fact I saw you at that Rieslingfeier!). Didn’t like it at all–nothing like this wine. Also I got pissed at Egon Mueller for pushing their wines from other countries (there was a Riesling from somewhere else as well, may NZ, that wasn’t to my taste either), instead of letting us have a taste of the “good” stuff.

Correct Otto!

Probably his Kanta Riesling from Australia?

could be, sorry I just don’t remember

In former Austro-Hungary, which Slovenia was a part of, the most common grape was Welschriesling which had nothing in common with Rhine Riesling. Since Austro_Hungary had so many minorities living there, each region withing Austro-Hungary gave it its own name to Welschriesling, Slovenians called it Laški rizling we Croatians called it Graševina, Italians called it Riesling Italico and so on.

When Slovenians started planting Rhine Riesling, they call it Renski Riesling which is Slovenian for Rhine Riesling in order not to be confused with Laški Riesling as they are completly different grapes with nothing in common.

“renski riesling” means Rhine-Riesling - a designation used also in Austria for the German/Austrian/Frenche Riesling-grape … to distinguish it from the Welsch-Riesling, a grape not related to the (German) Riesling, but which is grown in the South and East of Austria, yielding wine of fresh character meant to be drunk mostly young, but also fine for making sweet wine.

Very generally: my experience with Slovenian wine is not comprehensive, although I´m living less than an hour by car away from Maribor.
Actually some of the best Styrian vineyards are close or even right at the border to Slovenia.

However, what I have tasted is - at best - ok and drinkable, but in most instances not really better.
Very few exceptions (see below).
(Disclaimer: there might be a few or even many exciting Slovenian wines somewhere - but I haven´t met them … except: see below)

The best Slovenian wines now produced are either made by Styrian winemakers (quite a few own vineyards across the border) - and these are really good (!) … or by younger Slovenian producers who have learned their know-how here in Styria, sometimes even worked here for some time … those few have real quality.
E.g.: a 5th of all vineyards of the Styrian wine-maker GROSS is in Slovenia:
https://en.gross.at/stajerska-slovenja

Most of the rest is either still slightly sweet, or unclean … or slightly oxidized … or made as “natural wines” which might be a way to sell them even with obvious faults.

Seriously I don´t need any Slovenian wine because what we´ve got here in Styria is often real world-class …

Sorry, I don´t know (or might have forgotten about) Sumenjak … and I apologize if there are great Slovenian wines and wine-makers I do not know and haven´t tasted so far - but my tasting experiences are not really better.

So a few others have already explained the “Renski” part but it’s common to name the grape that way in much of Europe. That’s the Reisling we know in the US.

The other “Riesling” is not related. As mentioned, it’s often referred to as Welsch Rizling Wälschriesling or Olaszrizling. That’s not related to the Welsh people in the British Isles. It comes from the word Walhaz, which in old German meant something like “Roman” or “foreigner” or “Celtic”. It’s an old word that the Germans applied to the Riesling that came from somewhere else and that wasn’t theirs. That indicates that Rhine Riesling has probably been around for a long time, and that the Olaszrizling may have been introduced by Romans, or Celts/Gauls who had been completely Romanized. So another synonym for that Riesling is “Italian Riesling”.

I don’t think anyone really knows where it came from, but I think it’s an unfairly maligned grape. I remember talking to a friend after we’d spent many days drinking lots of wine in central Europe. He said, " You know, we’ve never had a BAD Olaszrizling."

Seems like everyone we met had a few vines growing and it was all over Austria, then Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. I think it was disparaged because it’s so common, but treated well, it’s a delightful grape.

Thanks for the info, Leo, Gerhard and Greg!

The Sumenjak was interesting, maybe better. But now I’m curious how they made it, nothing like riesling as I know it. Here is the description from their website (and Google)

Rhine Riesling 2011

We ripped the grapes in full maturity and then macerated them. Fermentation and ripening on fine lees were carried out in a wooden barrel until bottled. A straw color with golden hues. The aroma of the vineyard peach is intertwined with the sensations of ripe fruit, honey and dried flowers. The wine is full, balanced, mineral with beautiful acidity and long aftertaste.

So maybe it’s made like a Goldkapsel…

Thanks, Gerhard…I always appreciate your comments and insights…from somebody there w/ their boots on the ground.
I, too, have been finding a lot of really good wines coming from along the border, either made in Styria or Slovenia, often from grapes
grown in Slovenia.
But I also find a lot of Slovenian wines I really like, both white & red, from near the Collio, like GoriskaBrda, and further
South in the Kras/Carso, particularly the reds. And some from the VipavaVlly, though those still show some amateurish winemaking. And a lot of these whites are made
with skin-contact…sometimes to excess I think.
I just wish we could find more Styrian wines here in the USofA. Especially the monumental/ageable Schlicher wines!!
I, for one, very much appreciate your contributions here on WB, Gerhard. Sometime we’ll drink a galss together in Graz.
Tom

Tom,
you´re welcome. Hope to meet sometimes …
Gerhard

Better than expected but certainly did not win the Thunderbird prize.

2016 Château Belá (Egon Müller) Riesling Dry RIESLING
Slovakia> Južnoslovenská> Štúrovský
10/23/2019 -
Purchased as an oddity, and really not bad. Discernibly Riesling on nose and palate, dry.

I’m from New York. I still don’t know which one is north of the other between Kansas and Nebraska. You think I know the difference between Slovakia and Slovenia?

No, I don´t think so, but you could … (or even should) … [wow.gif]

So in the US we have “fly-over states.” Now you’re saying we have fly-over countries? neener