Goriška Brda

If someone dropped us from a plane and we wouldn’t know where we are, we would think, we’re in Tuscany – charming small villages, vineyard covered hills and small castles and villas.

A real gem is the village Šmartno. It sits on a hilltop, surrounded by a stone wall. We stayed at Hiša Marica – a lovely rustic family run house with good food. You can catch a great view over Šmartno from the nearby tower Gonjače (144 stairs).

The region is especially known for its wines. We visited the castle Gredič (known from the Slovenian series Ena žlahtna štorija), because they have a new modern wine cellar. Unfortunately we didn’t have a restaurant reservation – so if you plan to eat there, learn from our mistake.

The second tasting was at Slovenian´s biggest wine cellar Vinska klet Goriška Brda. A whole tour (45 min – 1 hour) will lead you through some of the cellars, we even got lucky and could visit the archive. The best comes at the end – the wine tasting. Included are 5 wines (we got 7) and some snacks like grissini, cheese and olives. We got to taste the most awarded wine Chardonnay 2011 from the line Bagueri. There’s also a good wine shop, where all the tasted wines can be bought.

Klet Gorška Brda - the biggest wine cellar in Slovenia — Klet Gorška Brda – the biggest wine cellar in Slovenia

If you need something to clear your head after too much wine, a few kilometres away is a nice, secluded stream Kožbana, where you can take a dip (in summer). About 1 kilometre furthermore you can visit the natural stone bridge Krčnik. The short stroll through the woods is also a good way to calm down.

Goriška Brda will spoil all your senses – your eyes with marvellous scenery, your ears with calm sounds of nature, your taste buds with great wines, your nose with delicious scents and your skin with gentle sunrays.