Global Guide to Local: Slovenia

September is when Slovenia’s Vipava Valley bursts into song. It’s grape harvest season in the vineyards of this fertile stretch of land that runs parallel to the Italian border through western Slovenia.

As the grape-pickers finish the working day in traditional song, sharing plates of local prosciutto ham, air-dried by the same strong Burja wind that has shaped this land and its lifestyle, they are echoing a tradition that dates back to the Romans, who first cultivated these slopes in nearby Trieste.

Described by renowned winemaker Matjaz Lemut of Tilia Estate, Vipava’s climate is “pre-Alpine with a touch of Mediterranean.” The strong sunshine does its work, causing the valley’s equally sought-after cherries to ripen early. Meanwhile, underground in the cellars of age-old stone-built villages that house Vipava’s rural communities, indigenous white Zelen and Pinela wine varieties are stored.

In 2003, the Zelen Consortium of 16 local winemakers united to set standards and promote marketable brands. Not only did this mean the Pinela variety was required to be sold in distinctive bottles, but it also encouraged rural restaurateurs and owners of rustic lodgings to raise the bar.

Seventy miles from Venice, Vipava and surrounding agrarian Slovenia now provide fresh, seasonal, farm-to-table dishes – jota bean soup, creamy bleki flat noodles with prosciutto – of such quality that diners flock here from gastro-focused Italy.

(STAY) PRISTAVA LEPENA

An active stay in the rustic retreat of Pristava Lepena in the Triglav National Park allows you to experience the beauty of the Soca Valley at its best. Log cabins, natural furnishings and wood-burning stoves allow for maximum rural comfort indoors while outdoors, activities include horseback riding, kayaking, rafting, golf, paragliding and hiking. Tennis courts and archery targets have been set up in a clearing in the forest, and Triglav is also prime territory for fishing. Vipava wines, local cheeses and grilled meats can be enjoyed by the fireplace or on the open terrace overlooking the mountains. pristava-lepena.com

(EAT) KEKÄŒEVA DOMAÄŒIJA

Mitja Lo Duca bought the Kekec Cottage in 2001. Set in the Soca Valley, this once-tumbledown ancient farmstead is today a beautifully converted but affordable lodging with a top-notch restaurant. “We had to rebuild everything,” says JoŠ¾i. “But we’ve kept the farmhouse feel and tradition.” Open from May to the end of September, the farmstead has no menu but cooks for guests and anyone who happens to phone ahead. “We source as much as we can locally,” says JoŠ¾i. “Cottage cheese, game, lamb, all come from nearby.”

(STAY) KENDOV DVOREC

Kendov Dvorec, a five-star hotel close to the Vipava Valley, can trace its history back to 1377. “Our idea was to honor this heritage and celebrate local cuisine,” says the hotel’s Bogdan Toncic, who opened this splendid, manor-style hotel and restaurant in 1995. ”We source our lamb from nearby Pr’Zerovcku Farm, and our best wines and vegetables from the Vipava Valley. Traditionally, we get first cherries of the spring from Vipava too.”

A plate of fresh figs from Kendov Dvorec’s kitchen.