Wine from the Slovenian Collio
Klinec is a family-run biodynamic winery in the village of Medana, in the Goriška Brda region of western Slovenia — an area often referred to as the Slovenian Collio. [^245^] The Klinec family has been growing grapes and making wine since 1918, with Aleks Klinec now representing the fourth generation. [^246^] [^247^] Under his stewardship, the winery has become a fixed star in the natural wine firmament — not through marketing or hype, but through decades of patient, principled work in the vineyard and cellar. [^248^] The estate encompasses approximately 6 hectares of vineyards at 180 metres above sea level, situated on the steep terraces of flysch — Eocene rocks rich in marine fossils, layers of marl and sandstone — that give the wines their unmistakable mineral, almost salty character. [^244^] [^247^]
Four Generations in Medana — From Art School to the Vineyard
The Klinec family's history in Medana stretches back to 1918, when they first began cultivating vines on the steep, sun-drenched hills of what would later become the border between Slovenia and Italy. [^246^] [^247^] Medana itself is an ancient settlement, first mentioned in historical records in 610 AD, though winegrowing in the area dates back even further — to ancient Greek colonies and later the Romans, who supplied surrounding cities with wine from these hills. [^246^] During the reign of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, a classification of winegrowing areas in the Habsburg Monarchy placed Medana in the first category — the highest quality tier — a standard that the Klinec family continues to uphold today. [^246^]
Aleks Klinec, the current custodian, originally intended to study art in Ljubljana. [^248^] But when he had to fill in at home at a young age, he changed course and became a winemaker instead. He quickly realised that he wanted to follow the traditional path of viticulture — no chemicals in the vineyard, spontaneous fermentation, maceration of the white wines, long ageing, and no additives in the cellar apart from a minimal amount of sulphur. [^248^] What reads like a textbook definition of natural wine makes it clear that tradition and avant-garde go hand in hand in this area. Aleks was among the first in Slovenia to turn to strictly organic production practices at a time when many mocked him for digging his own grave with macerated, unfiltered wines, with no added sulphur, and a complete return-to-nature approach. [^243^] He did not succumb. He is, after all, a Bric — as the residents of Brda are called — and walking against the wind has been with him since the cradle. [^243^]
Today, Aleks and his wife Simona farm 6 hectares of vines alongside olive trees, sheep, and pigs. [^244^] They use the pigs to make hams and salami, which they serve in their family restaurant underneath their house — a place where guests sit beneath vines on a terrace with views stretching all the way to Italy, sipping amber-coloured Rebula while the smell of smouldering grapevine wood drifts from the open fire. [^243^] The sign at the entrance reads: "No Pizza, no Coca-Cola, no Pommes Frites." [^243^] This is not a winery that caters to trends; it is a home, a farm, and a way of life that has been refined over four generations.
"The responsibility of us farmers towards the planet is particularly great. It is up to us to ensure that cultivation practices do not cause soil pollution or even, in the most serious cases, their desertification; it is equally up to us to help keep them alive and healthy, that is, to make a gift of them to our children who will live with them — and of them."
— Aleks Klinec
Biodynamic, Flysch Soils & Living Ecosystems
Klinec adheres to biodynamic farming principles, with a strong emphasis on biodiversity and soil health. [^245^] The estate is home to various animals — pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens — which contribute to the ecological balance of the farm. [^245^] The vineyards are grassed and covered with bushes and trees, giving each vineyard its own ecosystem. [^250^] Every three years, they fertilise the vineyards with homemade compost to stimulate soil life and micro-organisms. [^250^] They make their own biodynamic preparations and vegetable compost, working in accordance with cosmic cycles. [^246^]
The estate consists of 6 plots, all hilly, between 150 and 180 metres above sea level. [^247^] The soil is primarily composed of flysch — Eocene rocks rich in marine fossils and layers of marl and sandstone, the same ponka that underlies the great wines of neighbouring Collio. [^247^] [^250^] Exposed to the sun and weathering, the compact flysch quickly decomposes into fertile, mineral-rich and well-drained soil, while the subsoil retains the original dense stratification and ensures valuable water reserves due to its low permeability. [^247^] To prevent erosion, the inhabitants of Brda worked the hills and made the characteristic terraces centuries ago. [^246^]
The location between the mountains and the sea creates an ideal microclimate. [^250^] The fertile soil of Goriška Brda basks in the rays of the sun for 2,900 hours a year, the sea — only a short distance away — caresses it with warm Mediterranean air, and the Julian Alps protect the vineyards against the influence of colder mountain air. [^246^] The terroir, soil composition, microclimate, and the consistency of the local grape varieties create an almost salty personality in the wines, reminding us of the sea that formerly covered Goriška Brda. [^250^] Aleks notes that the mineral, salty backbone of his wines only started to become apparent when the vines had become accustomed to biodynamic farming — the roots went deeper and are able to ingest the minerals and nutrients that the now healthy, living soil contains. [^244^]
Biodynamic farming with homemade preparations and compost. Pigs, goats, sheep, chickens. Grassed vineyards with bushes and trees. Each vineyard its own ecosystem. [^245^] [^250^]
Eocene flysch — marl, sandstone, and marine fossils. Fertile, mineral-rich, well-drained topsoil. Dense subsoil retains water. Characteristic terraced hills. [^247^] [^246^]
Almost 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Mediterranean warmth from the nearby sea, Alpine protection from the Julian Alps. An ideal microclimate for ripeness and acidity. [^246^]
Approximately one kilo of grapes per plant. Reduced production for concentration and quality. Hand-harvested. The Habsburg first-category standard, upheld. [^247^]
Spontaneous Fermentation, Extended Maceration & 2-3 Years in Wood
In the cellar, Aleks Klinec's approach is characterised by spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, extended skin contact for white wines, and long ageing in traditional wooden barrels. [^245^] The hand-picked grapes are destemmed and placed in cement tanks in the cellar below the restaurant. Maceration and fermentation happen here, with the length of skin contact varying by variety. [^244^] Rebula sees the longest time on skins — around 10 days or more, depending on the vintage — as Aleks believes its natural characteristics are more suited to longer maceration. The more delicately aromatic Malvasia and Tokaj Friulano receive a gentler approach, with only 4 days on the skins. [^244^]
After fermentation, the wine travels to the cellar on the level below, where it spends at least 36 months on the lees in traditional wooden barrels. [^244^] Whites are aged in used acacia and mulberry barrels, while reds mature in cherry and Slavonian oak. [^245^] The barrels — ranging from 300 to 2,000 litres — traditionally have various names: kalater, golber, štartin, and baton. [^246^] This long lees ageing is crucial to the Klinec style: the wines develop a richness and texture that belies their natural, low-intervention origins, and the mineral core that defines them becomes more pronounced with time.
When the wines mature, they are decanted into stainless steel vessels to stabilise and clarify. [^246^] At this point, they are protected with sulphur for the first time. The wine is bottled after a few months of resting, without filtration and with a very low sulphur content. [^246^] This procedure gives the wine a rich and unique taste, without objectionable additives. [^246^] The result is wines that are pure, expressive of their terroir, and often described as "living wines" — wines that evolve in the bottle, that improve with age, and that carry the imprint of a place, a family, and a philosophy. [^245^]
The Klinec wines are defined by a mineral, almost salty backbone — a quality that sets them apart even within the skin-macerated white wine renaissance of the Brda-Collio borderland. [^244^] [^250^] Though Aleks uses extended skin contact, the wines are not dominated by it; their mineral core means that despite the maceration, they all feel fresh and vibrant even with ageing. [^244^] The years of work in the vineyard are paying off, and it really seems that every year the wines get better and better. [^244^]
Rebula — "Amber, Textured, and Profoundly Mineral"
The Rebula is Klinec's flagship wine — the cuvée that has earned the estate its reputation as one of the finest producers of skin-contact white wines in Europe. [^244^] [^245^]
Made from 100% Rebula (Ribolla Gialla) grown on the biodynamically farmed, terraced flysch hills of Medana, the grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed into cement tanks in the cellar below the family restaurant. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with the juice and skins in contact for around 10 days or more, depending on the vintage. [^244^] After pressing, the wine is transferred to the lower cellar, where it spends at least 36 months on the lees in used acacia and mulberry barrels — developing a richness, texture, and depth that only time and wood can provide. [^244^]
In the glass, it is amber and luminous, with aromas of dried apricot, wild herbs, and a distinct mineral salinity that Aleks describes as the taste of the ancient sea that once covered these hills. The palate is structured and tannic from the extended skin contact, yet fresh and vibrant — the mineral core preventing the wine from feeling heavy or over-extracted. It is a wine of paradox: rich yet lithe, ancient yet youthful, traditional yet utterly distinctive. A wine that improves with age in a way that defies conventional wisdom about natural wine. ~€35–€45 / ~$38–$50.
The Klinec Range
Klinec produces approximately 24,000 bottles annually from 6 hectares of biodynamically farmed vineyards in Medana, Goriška Brda. All wines are spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, macerated on skins for varying periods, aged for 2-3 years on lees in traditional wooden barrels (acacia, mulberry, cherry, oak), and bottled without filtration with minimal sulphur. The portfolio is built around indigenous Brda-Collio varieties and reflects the unique flysch terroir of the region. Prices are approximate and in EUR/USD.