About our wines and philosophy:
THIS IS A LOVE STORY. A STORY OF A FAMILY’S PASSION FOR BUBBLES. AN OBSESSION THAT DATES BACK FIVE DECADES, LONG BEFORE SPARKLING WINE BECAME THE LATEST “MUST-HAVE” FAD FOR WINE ESTATES FOLLOWING FASHION.
Janez Istenič was a keen sportsman in his youth and after graduating in oenology, he managed a career as a winemaker at one of Yugoslavia’s state cellars in the 1960s. He was lured by bubbles from the beginning but the turning point came when he won a scholarship to study in France which took him to Champagne. On his return, he realised that his father-in-law’s vineyard, which produced wines with “distinct freshness”, had similarities with the high-acid grapes of Champagne.
He had put away some savings which he proceeded to spend on buying land and equipment. Janez Istenič became the first private producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine in Slovenia. 1968 was the birth year of his first wine and his daughter, and both were christened Barbara.