Petr Koráb studied to become an attorney, but shortly after moving to Prague to practice law, he realized what he really wanted was to spend his time in the vineyard his grandfather had planted in 1934. “I love living with a vineyard, animals, around nature. But the main engine for me is endless learning.” Petr’s cellar among his neighbors Petr cultivates nearly 4 hectares of vineyards, some vines are 84 years old. New plantings are on limestone subsoil. Varieties selected are typical of the region. The first vintage of KORÁB - živá hora (live hill) was 2006. It began with cultivation of grapes in old vineyards, fermentation has always been spontaneous with an authentic mindset. Gradually, the vineyards were converted to organic cultivation and supplemented this with biodynamic philosophy. Petr discovered how he farmed affected the wines in the cellar. If he started with fruit that was clean and healthy the wine needs little in the cellar. This allows him to opporte in the cellar by, “controlled doing nothing”, as he describes. Petr Koráb is trying to find an authentic way. Not only new ways but also time tested old ways forgotten in today's consumer lifestyle. The ultimate goal is to bottle living wine not "marred" by additives.

Jaroslav Osička, and his son Lubos make wine in Velké Bílovice near the borders of Austria and Slovakia. The land they farm is dominated by calcareous loess, clay and loam, however testing of their own has indicated that the soils are much more diverse. Jaroslav teaches organic viticulture at a local wine making school, they travel widely, taste a lot and organize a large local wine competition.

Jaroslav has always incorporated biodiversity in his farming philosophy firstly by avoiding synthetic and systemic treatments. Their vines were some of the first in their area to be farmed organically and have been since the late 80’s. The aspects of the vineyards are varied due the hilly terrain. The soils are mixed, calcareous rich, clay, loess and loam. Cover crops are encouraged, tilling is kept to a minimum, fertilizers are natural and mineral based, yields are low.

The wines are fermented spontaneously without temperature control. All wines undergo some amount of skin contact. Even the white wines will be fermented with a small amount of grape skins, Elevage ranges from 12 to 36 months. Sulfur is only added before bottling (5-20 ppm).

Amiran Vepkhvadze’s Wine Cellar is located in the Imiretian village of Zestafoni in West Georgia. An attorney by trade, Amiran Vepkhvadze inherited a few hectares of Otskhanuri Sapere, a rare, indigenous varietal found only in Western Georgia. It was planted by his father and the vines are pergola trained in order to counter the humid conditions characteristic of the region. For years he sold the grapes to a large local winery. What they would pay gradually decreased until Amiran decided to start making his own wine. It remains one of the largest contiguous plots of the grape variety.

His vines are planted in fields near his home as well as in the nearby villages of Kinoti and Kldeeti: he grows white grapes Tsitska, Tsolikouri, Krakhuna, and the black grape Otskhanuri Sapere. Fermentation and aging of organically-farmed grapes occur in beeswax-lined kvevri. The wines receive no filtration or chemical addition.

Professional pianist, turned wine tour guide (2010), turned winemaker, Nino Chitoshvili of Chito’s Gvino released her inaugural vintage in 2017. Her Marani (cellar) is located in the village of Martkopi 30 minutes outside of Tbilisi. She is building her production parcel by parcel, and renting land where she can farm organically. Outside of a little help from locals she does all of the vineyard work herself. In 2021, Chito produced about 3000 bottles. Most of the fruit came from vineyards she farms in Kakheti. The wines indicate no newcomer; they are resonant, dynamic and intentional. Impeccable but old fashioned. Our cooperation is as much an investment in our own drinking as a commercial exercise, and we are happy to help drain a few bottles of her wine all the more so if it helps her grow!

ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS MUST LIVE THEIR LIVES! NO FILTRATION, NO STABILIZATION. PATIENCE = STABILITY LIVE, KEEP COOL. 

“Our family vineyard, in the Asureti Valley of Kvemo Kartli, is fantastic! I planted it in 2012 with 14 different Georgian grape varieties. There are no other vineyards for kilometers. We are Demeter certified and have only farmed our vineyards according to biodynamic principles and our own “forest philosophy”. We take from the vineyards only juice, even skins and stems return to the vineyard to be composted. Our marani/cellar is in the Kiketi Mountains. The cool conditions are perfect for wine making! Wild fermentation happens in traditional Qvevri: large buried earthenware amphora. We let the microorganisms do their jobs and they give us REAL wine.”

- Winemaker and Architect, Beka Gotsadze

The Jakeli's were some of Georgia's earliest proponents of natural wine and Khashmi; the now premiere appellation for Saperavi. The style of the wines have developed since the early vintages and are today at their best. Winemaker Zaza Jakeli is making some of the tastiest and most site specific examples we have encountered. His wines validate the importance of the Saperavi variety, the land, the traditional Georgian methods of wine making and the use of traditional wood-fired terracotta Kvevri.

Papari Valley is the family farm of Ketevan Gurabanidze; Shalva (Nukri) Kurdadze and their son Sandro. The first two hectares of vineyards were purchased in 2004 and they continued to add to the estate until 2010. The vineyards have been cared for according to certified organic requirements from the beginning. Vineyards and cellar are situated on the wavy relief of our sloping mountainside, resembling the mane of a horse for which Papari Valley is named. In Georgian Papari means "horse mane". That is why the horse is depicted on the logo, which was painted by Sandro when only 7 years old.

Ori Marani is the love project of Bastien Warskotte and his wife Nino Gvantseladze. A mixing of worlds and cultures based on adoration. They met while studying in Slovakia and decided to settle down in Nino's Georgia and establish a winery of their own. They chose Georgia because they would have a greater opportunity (and adventure) than in Bastien's native Champagne where his family produces wine. The heart of their production is in the long elevage sparkling wines inspired by Champagne but rooted in Georgian traditional varieties and qvevri vinification. The line of sparkling wines includes a range of production styles including Ancestrale, Ca Fondo and Traditionelle Methode wines. There is no parallel to what Ori is doing with bubbles, their work will influence many. In addition to their sparkling wines they produce a range of still wines. Grapes are sourced from prime locations through Georgia and they work closely with growers to ensure the quality and health of the fruit. Their approach to winemaking is typified by restraint, macerations are never highly extractive, rather they pursue textural lightness and delicacy. Ori Marani wines are a great compliment to Georgian wine diversity and expand this diversity ever further.

Vlado Kuny, Martin Danielic.

Marvla TINDO is a decision of two different people who have a common goal, vision and dream - WINE. Our small winery with a production of 8,000 to 10,000 liters per year was established in 2009 and focuses on the production of wines with a terroir imprint and the character acquired in the vineyard.

“The less we do, the more we find out who we really are. We let nature and time speak, because we think that witnessing a process is more than being its supposed director.

We often encounter the fact that the winery will start to prosper, increase production and the quality will decrease. By being a micro-winemaker, we can deal with wines systematically. We can use natural methods, only physical interventions, we don't need to go to the security offered by today's advanced science, and we create a parental relationship with every wine.

Every year is climatically unique, which offers a raw material with a unique composition, which determines the chosen technological process.” - MarTIN Danielič and VlaDO Kuny

Behind the Marvla TINDO winery are marTIN and vlaDO, two friends who decided not only to debate and taste wine, but also to make their own. They designed and dug a new cellar on the outskirts of the district town of Levice, in the wine-growing part, where Levice vineyards and hajloky have been since time immemorial, at the foot of the Sitno volcano. Each year, they discover new possibilities for vineyards planted on the volcanic bedrock.

"LET NATURE AND TIME SPEAK, BECAUSE WE THINK THAT WITNESSING THE PROCESS IS MORE THAN BEING ITS SUPPOSED DIRECTOR," AGREE MARTIN DANIELIC AND VLADO KUNY.

They watch why vineyards are planted somewhere and somewhere, why our ancestors planted varieties such as planted, which are the original varieties, how to minimize interference in the cellar, but also how wooden barrels work and what effect the vintage has on wine. The wines in the Marvla Tindo winery ferment on natural yeasts, allowing the grapes to show their terroir. Subsequently, they lie and mature on fine lees in Slovak barriques, without filtration and any other interventions from the outside. Thanks to the wine, they suddenly look with new eyes at the landscape below the Sitno volcano. Suddenly, wine is not a goal, but a way to get to know the world around you.

OWNER AND WINEMAKER: Marek Uhnák

REGION: Slovakia, Region (Nitra), sub region Tekovský, SITNO, Village of Čajkov

The vineyards are located at foothills of southern slopes of Štiavnické Hills

TOTAL HECTARE: 5 ha

ALTITUDE OF VINEYARD(S) - 250 to 400 meters
SOILS: soft tuff - volcanic ash & hard andesite -  volcanic lava, region is extremely rich in minerals (apx. 140 mineral varieties)

CULTIVATED: Pesecká Leánka, Fetească Regală, Devin, Pinot Gris, Frankovka, Alibernet

FARMING PRACTICES: Organic

TOTAL ANNUAL PRODUCTION: 20,000 bottles

WINE(S) PRODUCED: sparkling of various techniques, white wines, skin fermented white, flor affected wines and reds. Highly experimental producer.

FIRST COMMERCIAL VINTAGE: 2015

The wines of Pivnica Čajkov are a synthesis of their wildly creative maker, Marek Uhnák, his familial history and the volcanic terroir of Čajkov. They are as inventive as they are classical, as contemplative as they are chuggable, to drink spontaneously or as part of an intricate pairing. The production is based around the old Carpathian variety Pesecká Leánka. While studying wine at Oenology Secondary School in Modra & Mendel University in Brno Marek realized the mistake made in his region where historical grape varieties were replaced with popular international grape sorts. When he returned home to make wine in his familial vineyards his aim became to reverse this trend, not as a matter of taste but because of the unique suitability these localized vines have to their region. “It is not an accident that Pesecká has been so frequent in Čajkov and neighboring villages. Our parents and grandparents understood a long time ago that this wine prospers here; the underlying rock and slopes suit it and it gives good yields even in the worst years. And this is what terroir is about. I have noticed that there are at least four clones of Pesecká only in our Čajkov vineyards and each of them has slightly different characteristics and wines made from them feature different characteristics and qualities in various years. Its flesh is almost liquid with a minimum pectin content, its skin is very thin and fragile and thus it tends to break even upon very careful processing which often shows up as fine tannin in wine. But the fundamental factor is the coexistence with the tuff soil in Čajkov. Pesecká is luxuriant, easily reaches the deeper parts of the underlying rock, draws on its distinctive minerals and blends them into wine. It is able to make use of the ability of tufa to accumulate heat and use it to ripen.”

The soils are the source of the dynamic, mineral aspect all of the wines share. The multitude of volcanic soil types is the result of a large eruption that millions of years ago, reduced a 4,000 meter high mountain to just 400 meters, spreading its interior material across kilometers of land. Greater than a volcano it is a stratovolcano; and one of the largest known volcanic eruptions ever, so large, it influenced climate globally. For millennia the region has been famous for mining of gold and other precious minerals due to its unique geology.

To Merek, nothing is more important than farming. Not only does he care about how he farms, but also his neighbors and their other neighbors. He is strongly opposed to chemical herbicides, pesticides and fungicides. His perspective is that it is necessary for there to be regional movements in the direction of organic if we are to really speak about ecological health. His vineyards are spread over 10 + locations. His ideal locations are completely wild locations surrounded by nature, these he has at higher elevation. Lower vineyards are grown without treatment and he works with neighbors to eliminate chemical treatments from their cultivation practices. Marek farms plots he selects in terms of natural drainage to avoid chemicals and fertilizer runoff entering his vineyards.

“The region is like an organism, you cannot take your wines out of their context, you cannot take the heart from the body and say this is a healthy heart. You can only say this is a healthy body.”

Marek’s wine making is more a response to the variety and harvest rather than a plan to “make” a particular wine. Some of these wines are produced every vintage, others are experiments and one offs. The minerality imparted by the volcanic soils is prominent in all of the wines. It is not a static flavor; it presents itself differently in each wine depending on what the grape variety brings in terms of texture and flavor, and is key to the nuance of all of the wines. In the cellar he is avant garde. Looking into the past and into himself to create modern low intervention wines. Each is made in its own way, sometimes in stainless steel, an assortment of barrels different in  size, wood type and age, varying degrees of skin contact, aging under flor. This is not chaos; the wines are vividly individual, faceted, polished and fascinating to pair with international cuisine, the more unexpected the better. The sophisticated cooking Marek does for his family and friends informs the wines he makes.

Generations of the KABAJ family have grown grapes in hilly, verdant Goriška Brda in Western Slovenia close to the Italian border. The family emigrated to the area during the Hapsburg Empire, first to the village of St. Peter, which today is in Italy soon after they settled in the village of Slovrenc where they remain. Today the Kabaj homestead consists of a winery, kitchen, guesthouse and the family home. It is overseen by Katja KABAJ and her husband Jean Michel Morel, who tend the vineyards and the cellar. They make wine only from grapes that they grow and farm about 10 HA give or take (some vineyards are under renovation). 70% of their production is made from white grapes. All wines are made with some amount of skin contact. This encourages spontaneous fermentation and gives healthier wines.



During the Yugoslav period the grapes they grew went to the local cooperative. Even after Slovenia was established in the early 90’s they continued to sell the grapes to the same cooperative. The price the cooperative paid to the farmers, if the cooperative paid at all, was so low that it was better to grow cherries and peaches to sell on the street than grapes for wine. But Zvonko KABAJ, Katja’s father, loved the vine and making wine and always had in his heart the desire to make wine commercially. “If the wine of Colio (Italian side of Brda) is world famous then certainly we have this same opportunity”. Zvonko was the first to plant Sivi Pinot in Brda in the 70’s. The clones had to be smuggled to Yugoslavia from Italy.



The first commercial vintage was 93’, the wines were made by Zvonko and Jean Michel, who worked together until Zvonko died in 97’. Before this though they planted new vineyards, renovated the home cellar and began to collect the necessary equipment. Starting up in the early 90's was almost a joke in the young country of Slovenia. The first tanks they bought for fermentation were made for holding milk. The first press was an old basket press. It was a very difficult time to buy anything, even if just across the border you could buy the best equipment in the world. The government regulated purchases, the economy was quite closed. This made each piece of equipment acquired all the more special. In 2004 after returning from Georgia where Jean Michel studied wine making in Qvevri they built the Marani during a second renovation and converted the prior cellar into the restaurant that Katja oversees.



Goriška Brda is Slovenia’s best known wine appellation. This is due to the cross border status it shares with the more famous Italian Collio. Both Brda and Collio mean hillside. It is a vast land of verdant church topped hills spilling with vineyards, fruit orchards and groves of olives. Uniquely positioned between the Alps and the Adriatic, the climate is influenced by both. Interspersed with rivers and forests the environment is clean and rich in biodiversity. Rebula and Savignonasse (Tokaj) are the premiere local varieties. Additionally many French varieties brought to the region during the Napoleonic period have found themselves at home. The cuisine is mixed; not Balkan, Austro-Hungarian or Italian but some combination of all three. Brda is a place one would hope to find special wines to justify returning.

Many of the most iconic Collio producers have Slavic surnames. These were some of the wineries who first introduced skin contact white wines to the international market. It would be inaccurate to identify these wines as culturally Italian. They were modeled after Slovene homemade wines. Collio is one of the world’s fresh wine capitals. Fresh wine is wine made in temperature controlled stainless steel so as to preserve the fresh fruity character of a wine in a way that was not possible before the technology existed. Those wines made without this are certainly closer in character to the pre-industrial wines of the area. Kabaj makes no fresh wine.


KABAJ is a model for what could be. Rather than taking advantage of the predictability of market tested conventional wines, they chose to champion the old ways. The first vintage was in 93’. They were drinking skin contact wines and started experimenting themselves in 97’. By 2005 they were macerating all white varieties for at least a few days. Having consistently produced a range of exemplary original wines like this for about 15 years now they prove it is not necessary to make the modern fruity style of wines so ubiquitous today. They make 60,000 to 100,000 bottles annually. 30% of the production is classical renditions of Bordeaux varieties, 70% is white grapes fermented with the skins.


Depending on the harvest they make 7-10 wines each vintage. Instead of singling out the best lots for the premium wines, all wines are composites of different vineyard locations, each contributing and supporting the ultimate wine in different ways. Millions of years ago the area was a shallow sea shore and delta. The soils are a complex mix of sedimentary flysch and marl interspersed with sandstone and limestone. The flysch and marl soils locally known as “Ponka” are most prized. They farm 12 hectares spread across 7 different positions throughout the appellation. Most vineyards are terraced marl planted to mature (older than 25 years), single guyot trained vines.


Farming is low and no till with an emphasis on soil biodiversity. To create an environment for the vine that is in harmony with the natural flora and fauna. Pheasants once common in the vineyard who had all but disappeared have begun returning to their vineyards. Systemic treatments, herbicides and pesticides are not used. What is sprayed is biological. The primary fertilizer is horse manure. Elemental sulfur and copper is sprayed but copper they try to avoid as much as possible.


All wine is fermented with native yeast and moved according to lunar cycles. Each undergoes some amount of skin contact, whites and reds alike. The length of skin contact varies based on variety and vintage. For the skin fermented white wines the goal is not to make extreme wine. Jean’s opinion is that if you take a bottle of wine in the vineyard, you should be able to taste the grape and then taste the wine and find the same flavors. The most significant vinification difference between Ravan (Sauvignonasse), Sauvignon Blanc, Beli Pinot (Pinot Blanc), Sivi Pinot (Pinot Gris) and Rebula is length of skin contact. Yet they all look, smell and taste completely different from each other.
After being racked off of the skins and finishing fermentation the wines spend a minimum of 1 year in used exclusively French barrique and complete malolactic fermentation. The process of macerating is evolving; starting in 2017 they are leaving 30 percent of the skins in tank for 5 months post malolactic because the grape skins naturally settle at the bottom and cover the lees to allow the cleaner wine at the top to be removed without disturbing the lees.


The style Jean brings to the KABAJ reds is reminiscent of late 80s Bordeaux, where he grew up. Brda is cool for Bordeaux varieties and Merlot is the grape that is best suited to the conditions. It is the dominant component in both Merlot and Cuvee Morel. Grapes are destemmed and fermented in stainless steel and macerated for approximately 6 weeks. Cuvee Morel is co-fermented. The wines are aged in barrique, some new for 24 to 36 months. Aristocratic in style they harken back to a time when Bordeaux was Claret. Nuanced, perfumed and enduring.


Jean Michel’s interest in skin contact white wine eventually led him to Georgia, the other location where this style of winemaking has historic precedent. There he studied wine making at a monastery. He brought this knowledge and 9 of the 3,000 liter clay qvevri that Georgian wine has traditionally been vinified in. Amfora is made according to Georgian traditions. The qvevri are filled with grapes after fermentation; they are sealed and left with the skins for as long as 2 years. This is the most eccentric, grand and personal wine of KABAJ.

Matej Korenika is one of the first producers in Slovenia to establish a fully Demeter certified Biodynamic vineyard. The soils are flysch composed primarily of marine sediments. The production is predominantly the local white Malvazija and red Refosk. The wines are made from biodynamically farmed grapes and vinified in unadorned style, vinified in stainless steel tanks from biodynamically farmed vines is the majority of the production. The vineyards are planted near the winery across a variety of aspects.

Vina Štemberger is located in Kras, Slovenia. Kras is located a bit east of Prosecco, Italy. It is an appellation uniquely shared by two nations. Carso to the Italians, Kras to the Slovenians. The pilings that support Venice were made from Kras oak. The term Karst topography was coined here and references limestone soils that dissolve into caves, which there are many of in Kras. It is an area that has seen a great deal of conflict throughout history. The impassable Alps to the north, the Adriatic Sea to the south, its location is something of an East/West gateway. These geological conditions are responsible for the region’s constant, often harsh winds, ideal for grape cultivation. Due to the high iron content of the soils, Kras wines have historically been prized for their medicinal value, most of all the red Teran (Terano to the Italians). Health aside, the white wines are at least as compelling and offer the same depth and intellectual charm as the reds.


Sebastijan and his wife Loredana and their three sons live and make wine in a large historically Turkish farm in the village of Šepulje. This is a hilltop village and could be considered a premier cru due to the reputation of the wines. Designed in a square with a large central courtyard the building was designed to protect workers and animals from the winds, Sebastijan is restoring the old building by hand with local rock and wood in traditional style. Trellised as an arbor on the outside of the farm house are two 300 year old Teran vines that he cares for and produces clones for the vineyards from. The farm is the familial home of two elderly sisters who also live there, the Štembergers maintain the farm and in exchange are able to produce their wines in the farm house and its cellar. In 2022 they completed work on an additional separate cellar adjacent to the vineyards behind the farm house.


The vineyards are located in two locations. In the village of Šepulje surrounding the farm house and in the forest of Štanjelo overlooking the Vipava Valley. They are certified organic but also cultivated according to biodynamic principles where possible. The forest vineyard is too remote to correctly administer all of the necessary preparations. The Šepulje vineyard is rich in terra rosa and where the majority of the red Teran and white Vitovska is grown. The Štanjelo vineyard is dominated by flysch and divided equally between Malvazija and Zelen. He raises pigs next to his forest vineyard. They eat a half wild diet and are the source for the exquisite ham Sebastijan cures above the wine barrels and serves alongside his wines to lucky visitors. The greatest Pršut (prosciutto) anywhere.


The Štembergers came from Alto Adige long enough ago for their Germanic name to acquire its Slavic punctuation. Sebastijan studied winemaking during Slovenia’s Socialist period, technical winemaking on an industrial scale. It was not the style of winemaking he had in his heart. His Father was a winemaker but passed away when Sebastijan was a child. Sebastijan wanted to make the wines of his childhood memories. Through trial and error he searched out his own taste and style of winemaking. For ten years, he sold his production to local restaurants to be served on tap as ‘open wine’. Slowly as he gained experience and acquired vineyards he began to bottle. It is probably this period of self education that give Sebastijan’s wines their very personal feel.


Kras wines tend to be salty and Mediterranean in character. The whites, often skin macerated, are lower in acid and discreetly floral while the reds, mostly Refošk, are tangy and ferrous. Distinctive in their own right, they acquire additional distinction in Vina Štemberger. Sebastijan’s wines are different. Always aromatic, expressive of fruit at the moment it should be consumed. The length of skin maceration and control of extract seem to emulsify the wines. Giving richness without weight, extract without tannin. This is complemented by his intelligent management of yeast and lees contact. Elegance of texture, expression of fruit and a signature gaminess give the wines dimension. Once open they react to the air and temperature, each bottle a display for many faces. Energetic and positive, Sebastijan is frenetic but his wines are calm. Gentle, suave, buoyant rather than tannic. Restrained in alcohol, deep and thoughtful, equal parts animal and intellect. We drink these wines with foods cooked over fire often from the sea, or cured, preferably outdoors with our fingers.