Vinogradi Fon, Teran, 2011, Red-wine from Slovenia

7 points

This sort of grapes is called differently depending to the area it grows:  Refosco and Terrano in Italian areas and in Slovenia Refošk and Teran. Reading about Refosco it seems there are some sub-sorts.

Teran doesn’t stay for some of the best wines in the world. For friends of mine who grow up in Slovenia Teran is similar to sour table wines. Indeed Slovenian Kars is a rather tough – although very beautiful – area. Imagine Kars is one huge calcareous rock, reaching out from the Italian Slovenian border (Gorica & Nova Gorica) down to Montenegro. The limy and cavernous soil is rich of calcium carbonate which. Only very strong and resistant sorts of plants grow in such an area. While winter it can become pretty cold and at summer obviously rather hot, nevertheless there is always a breeze of marine air due to is vicinity to Adriatic Sea.

WP_20150425_019Marco Fon’s vinery is located at Brje pri Komnu only a stone throw away from Italy. As previously written Marco Fon isn’t only committed to his land, he is a part of it. (https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/07/19/vinogradi-fon-vitovska-2006/). This definition is applicable for his unique and very individual Teran: This is not a wine for an easy or romantic evening. This is a strong drinking experience. The wine is fresh, barefaced, energetic and powerful. It is fruityfruity if I can say so; it is sour but amazedly balances by a distinctive minerality. The wine also has herbal and grassy aromas. One could compare the character of this wine with a bark of an old fruit tree, a down to earth farm or simply remarkable honest. The red color of Marco Fon’s vineyards is like a precursor of the color and the character of this untypical red-wine.

WP_20150715_002I hadn’t a chance to taste many vintages as this wine isn’t available unfortunately. The number of production is very limited. But I think there are even pretty massive differences as too much rain – and in this area it can rain actually a lot while summer – wouldn’t help this wine of course.

Because its natural sourness it would be worth to let the wine mature, it should get only better.

Probably this isn’t a standalone wine but perfect company for any kind of heavier and rich food, it is a red-wine which even could fit to pork.

Marco Fon’s wine are organic.

This is the link to his webpage: http://www.vinogradifon.com/