Writing and Wine in Vipava
Plus Sandi Škerk's new cellar and a profile of Dejan Kukanja
Attentive readers may have noticed that I didn’t publish anything last week. The dog didn’t eat my homework - instead, I was kept busy by seven talented writers who entrusted themselves to my tutelage for five days.
That’s right - I just ran my first residential writing course in Slovenia. Except that apparently I didn’t. The world and their non-binary significant-other insists on referring to it as a writing retreat.
My students teased me about this all week long, but I stood my ground. To me, a retreat is about the provision of a quiet space, allowing the individual to focus on their own work with minimal direction or interference. A workshop or course, in contrast, puts the focus on “instruction, critique, and skill-building, often involving lectures or close analysis of student work.” (writingmastery.com)
The location in the hilltop village of Pedrovo, straddling two bucolic wine regions, was a deliberate choice. It allowed me to include some favourite restaurants, wines and winemakers in the schedule.
We worked hard, with group/taught sessions in the mornings, afternoons left free for people to work on their assignments and explore, and the evenings enjoying leisurely dinners.
Best of all was the high quality of the discussions. My seven students, drawn from six different countries and two continents, all brought strong opinions, curiosity and conviviality to the table. I learnt a lot and had my views challenged on numerous occasions. Nothing better than being kept on your toes!
Here’s a little photographic taster, to tempt those who might consider joining next year, plus a profile of micro-grower Dejan Kukanja and an update on Azienda Agricola Škerk.
One morning was devoted to visiting two wineries on either side of the Italian/Slovenian border. Sandi Škerk, based in the Italian Carso, is a name familiar to regular readers. But he had a surprise in store for me.
Škerk’s cellar, cut deep into the Karst limestone, was already a spectacular space. But in 2020, he discovered a massive fissure in the rock surrounding the existing cantina. While the world grappled with COVID, Sandi busied himself excavating tonne after tonne of soil to open up a series of caverns.
It formed part of a longer-term project to exchange fermentation in oak for 6,000 litre limestone vats, custom built by a local craftsman. Four of the huge vessels are now buried Georgian qvevri-style in one of the newly excavated caves, with another two to be added shortly.
The holistic nature of the project is impressive. The excavated earth was used to create topsoil - something that barely exists in the region - for two new hectares of vineyard. The hard limestone went into the production of the fermentation vats.
Sandi’s goal in switching to limestone is cooler fermentation temperatures and less oxygen ingress. Ograde 2022, his signature blend of Malvasia, Vitovska, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc was 60% fermented in the new vats. It tasted as delicious as ever, with a fresh, salty kick. Texturally, I felt a bit more grip compared to previous vintages, with fine tannins that teased the palate.
From 2023, the varietal wines are 100% fermented in limestone. Maybe I imagined it, but Malvasia and Vitovska both seemed extra-fruity and expressive when I nosed them. The 2023 Malvasia is super ripe, with 15% alcohol. I prefer it in the blend, where its tutti-frutti character dominates less.
I set my students an assignment to write 500 words about their favourite aspect of our visits. I gave it a go too, and wrote this short piece on Dejan Kukanja (for paid subscribers only).
