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“Our aim in wine culture is to search the balance between freshness on one hand and structure, plenitude on the other hand.”
Tomaž Prinčič

Ik heb Tomaž Prinčič voor het eerst ontmoet op het Sloveense wijnfestival in Ljubljana, vervolgens hier opnieuw tijdens de Wine Professional 2020 in Amsterdam, waar hij een van de exposanten was. Zijn wijnen zijn sinds de voorproeverij onderdeel van ons assortiment.

Introduction

At the family farm Prinčič from Kozana in Goriška Brda, they have been cultivating vines for generations and creating its noble product. The records date back to 1848, when fruit and vines were grown on Prinčič’s farm. The tradition of cooperating with nature and preserving natural resources, producing quality produce, which was started by Mihael and Katarina, has been passed down through the generations. Mihael is used today as a brand of grapes harvested in special locations. The wines of this brand are refined in oak barrels: Mihael belo (chardonnay, sauvignon, rebula), Mihael rebula, Mihael rdeče (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, modri pinot), sladki Mihael (merlot, cabernet sauvignon).
A great recognition of our efforts is the silver medal for Mihael belo at the Decanter World Wine Awards.
White wines: Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon. Red wines: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir. Matured in oak barrels, they give a pleasant roundness and depth.
Wines produced on the Prinčič farm are drinkable, fruity, harmonious, full of minerals from the land of Brda.

Facts & Figures

Region: Goriška brda
Town: Kozana
Since: 1992
Size in ha: 9
Annual production in liters: 30,000

About

Tomaž comes from a family with a long viticultural tradition that was started by his great-grandfather Mihael back in 1878 and in whose honor a special line of wine aged in wood was named – “Mihael belo” and “Mihael rdeče”. The result of such a long history is the rich experience gained from winemakers in Austro-Hungary, then from Italian colleagues, and today it was inherited by Tomaž, otherwise a graduate agronomist, and applied in the vineyard together with the latest knowledge from the profession.

Goriška Brda

The Slovene word ´brda´ means ´hills´ and that is the simplest description of the Brda erea: a region of low rounded hills in the western part of Slovenia bordering Italy. The area is frequently referred to as Goriška Brda because the largest town in the area is Gorica (Gorizia).

The soil of the area are mostly marly mark, shale and sandstone in alteration (flysch). The relief is low, with gently rounded hills flowing southwest into the Friulian plains. The hills are very prone to erosion, so most of the vineyards must be terraced. The climate is Mediterranean although the area has no direct contact with the coast, but the rainfall here is much more abundant than on the coast itself; summers are moderately hot.

Vineyards

The vineyards of the Prinčič Farm cover a total of 10 ha, from which about 40,000 bottles are obtained annually.

Most of the vineyards are about 35 years old and are located at an altitude of between 50 and 100 meters. All vineyards have southern, that is, southeastern exposures. Also all the vineyards are covered with grass which allows for looser soil, preservation of beneficial micro-organisms in the soil, provides the vine with more oxygen, and also serves as an excellent natural fertilizer. Two things are crucial to the superior quality of wines from Goriška Brda: microclimate and soil composition.

Vineyards on upper slopes are planted horizontally with wide terraces, each typically supporting two or more rows of vines. The space between rows is weeded, but a wide swath of grass is usually left to grow on the edge of each terrace to prevent erosion. The terraces are less wide on lower slopes, sometimes with grass growing throught the rows. Only vineyards in the valleys are completely weeded- these are rare but nevertheless possible since the gentle relief admits enough sunshine all the way to the bottom of most valleys.

The vineyards are concentrated on three different vineyard locations. The oldest are more than 40 years old. Old autochthonal sorts can be found among them. The more recent vineyards are densly planted comprising three-five ‘ecotypes’ of the same sort. Such a variety, together with the climate and the soil enables and excelent proportion of sugar, acids and aroma which can be felt later in the harmony of the wines

Like Kraška jama, a wonderful position, plantation density between 4000 to 6000 vines per hectare.

The combination of warm air coming from the sea during the day and cold air coming from the Alps at night is ideal for vines, and the crust or marl in the soil gives the wines a pronounced minerality, which rebula, otherwise called the Queen of the Hills, gives the X factor.

Awards and medals

Won medals of all colors in various wine competitions, in Slovenia at Gornja Radgona, Vino Ljubljana, but also international such as Decanter World Wine Avard and Finger Lakes with his single variety wines and the special Mihael Rdeče and Mihael Belo cuvees.