Wines from Slovenia: finding Pulec Wines at Vinitaly

The owner of Pulec wines happens to be a very nice man, and while his stand of wines from Slovenia at Vinitaly is nothing remarkable, it is worth a detour both for the welcome from the owner and the wines themselves.

Pulec wines is just across the border from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy’s renowned white wine region of excellence. In addition, Pulec wines shares the same territory of the Collio DOC area of Friuli, which can be seen as a guarantee of quality.

Their wine range from Slovenia includes among the whites: friulano (formerly known as tocai friulano), ribolla gialla, pinot grigio and chardonnay, and for the reds: cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

I found the friulano (denominated sauvignonasse in Slovenia) and pinot grigio particularly impressive, with lovely intense perfumes and very soft in the palate. They are quite high in alcohol but should be great food matching wines. I also tried the cabernet sauvignon which was quite young, but showing excellent promise. It was full-bodied and tannic but its fruit and vegetable flavours should come to the fore in time.

Looking at the Pulec Wines gallery, you can see what a beautiful area they are in, with hillside terrain providing an ideal micro-climate. While the family still sells some of its grapes, they plan to increase their own bottling and labeling in time, with a new cellar that is currently on hold due to the economic downturn. Cellar visits in Slovenia are possible though.

Among the elbowing for space and the showing off of many visitors to Vinitaly, this was a truly unique and pleasant experience from a company proud of its traditions, and who believes in the quality and potential of its wines. I would say that if you’re looking for something different, Pulec Wines is definitely worth exploring.