Fires, Laws

I’ve been on the road this past week; I’ll let you know all about that when I land on Elizabeth Street but for now;

THE WINE SITUATION IN SLOVENIA

Wine governing boards have historically messed with wine, imposing notions of what it should taste like—and in modern times, this creates disasters for natural wines. But that’s where the lowest category, Table Wines (Vin de Table, Vino di Tavola), came in. At least natural winemakers who don’t pass the tasting test because of elevated VA or a Sauvignon that doesn’t taste like cat piss and grapefruit could still use the category to bring their wines to the people. But in the Karst terroir of Slovenia? Their new wine law (ZVin-1 law (Article 24)) has abolished that escape hatch.

This means many of our favorite wines from Slovenia would not be allowed to reach their customers. Where previously those considered aberrant could have the option to use Vino di Tavola, they can no longer. No sales at all. No Čotar, no Marko Fon, no Kabaj. Hell, not even Movia.

I was asked to write a letter of support to have this misjudgement corrected. Here’s a piece of the letter. You can ask me for the whole thing if you’d like.

Wine laws should protect consumers from fraud and unsafe products, not enforce a single aesthetic vision of how wine should smell, taste, or look. That might be fine for commercial products that need to be cookie-cutter, but not for wines that carry culture within their bottles. The danger is that organoleptic panels are typically trained according to conventional standards and often lack familiarity with the broader spectrum of flavors, textures, appearances, and evolution found in natural wines. Credentials and certifications do not automatically confer an understanding of every legitimate wine tradition.

Georgia once considered a similar approach but wisely recognized that the country’s international reputation rests largely on the work of its natural wine producers. Slovenian wines, likewise, are celebrated around the world because of their authenticity, individuality, and grace—qualities that have been championed by natural winegrowers. Yet many of these wines fall outside the narrow parameters of what traditional tasting panels consider “correct.” Slovenia should follow Georgia’s lead and provide producers with an alternative route to market, especially when there is already a willing market for their wines.

SIGN THE PETITION

So— that said. If you want to help, please head to the petition and give it your thumbs up for natural Slovenian wines!

Other wine news? Those fires. Oh, those fires. Champagne Famille Moussé was felled by flames. Bordeaux, Burgundy, the Southwest. Greece—Crete. Spain?