Vina Krapež Zelen 2022

Here's a grape you've probably never heard of. Zelen. It's Slovenian for green, which should tell you something about the vibe: fresh, bright, a little herbaceous. But at Vina Krapež, they decided to take it somewhere else.

The estate is in Vrhpolje, in the Vipava Valley, at the foothills of Nanos and Kovk. The soil is ancient sea bed, layers of flysch and marl. The family has been growing grapes here for almost a hundred years, but they only started bottling their own wine in 1971. By the 90s, they were focusing on sustainability.

This wine is made entirely with Zelen, macerated on the skins for seven days and then aged in stainless steel on the lees to build depth. So it's still bright and zippy, lime and dried herbs, but there's texture too. The tannins are there, giving it structure and a very pretty finish.

Drink it with anything herby, anything you'd normally pair with Sauvignon Blanc but want something weirder and more interesting.