A cook’s tour of Slovenia

Think of Slovenia from a tourism point of view, and chances are the first place you’ll think of its enchanting capital Ljubljana with its many green spaces, beautiful Old Town and stunning castle.

And Ljubljana is of course a great place to spend a few days, especially as it’s likely to be your arrival point. However, Slovenia has much to offer outside of its capital city, in particular for lovers of food and wine, and with it taking only three hours to get from the far southwest to the far northeast, anywhere you want to visit will be within easy reach.

First stop for me was the home of Slovenian sparkling wine Radgonske Gorice in the eastern part of Slovenia (Prekmurje) to try out the Untouched by Light experience. Sparkling wine has been made here since 1852, but since 2020, they have come with something new. Certain grapes are harvested on a moonlit night by workers wearing night vision goggles and don’t see any light during any part of the vinification and maturation process, eventually being decanted into an opaque black bottle sealed in dark foil and, ideally, drunk in darkness too. Apparently it is the world’ first “light free” wine, and retails for €100 per bottle.

The experience starts with a general presentation of the winery, the Untouched by Light wine and the science behind it – a study in 1989 published in the American Journal of Enology and Viniculture1 looked at the effect of light on wine, coming to the conclusion that light decreased citrus notes and increased some of the ones which don’t sound so good, such as cooked cabbage, wet dog and Marmite. Following a short tour of the small cellar, the lights were switched off while manager and sommelier Monika Pavlíc led us through a tasting of the difference between the wine produced the traditional way and the Untouched by Light wine.

In all honesty, I struggled to tell the difference between the two, though others claimed to. Perhaps I simply have an unsophisticated palate but even so, it was a fun and unusual experience.

Next up was Kocbek Oil Mill, where three generations of the Kocbek family have been producing pumpkin seed oil, a staple of Slovenian cuisine, since 1929 using traditional methods started by grandfather Alojz Kocbek and still used today. While there are 825 types of pumpkin worldwide, only one type is suitable for producing pumpkin seed oil, with the conditions in the Prlekija region perfect for growing pumpkins to create the so-called “green gold” oil. Pumpkins are harvested from each field once every three years. It takes from 33 to 66 pumpkins to make just one litre of oil (depending on the method used – either cold pressing or hot pressing) with impressively zero waste and an amazing array of products produced from the oil and seeds including chocolate, crisps, lip balm, pasta and even gin. While Kocbek’s standard pumpkin oils which are ideal for drizzling on salads and similar are very affordable, they are also producers of the world’s most expensive pumpkin oil (Kocbek1929) which comes in an handblown lead-free glass bottle with a 24-carat gold label and is placed in a box made of centuries-old wood. A 350ml bottle retails for €1,200 and the rare bottles are sold as far away as Japan and Dubai.

Monstera[Missing Credit]

A highlight of the trip for me was an overnight stay at Monstera Estate, a beautiful country house in the western foothills of Goričko, the home of Bine and Katarina Volčič where they now welcome guests every weekend to enjoy great food, yoga and relaxation. Bine is somewhat of a celeb in Slovenia, having spent six series as a judge on Slovenian Masterchef. The weekends start with a ‘family style’ meal on Friday evening and a full tasting menu on Saturday evening cooked by Bine himself, with wine pairings presented and served by Katarina. The vast majority of ingredients are sourced either from their own land or from local farms, and the menu changes according to what’s in season, with dietary requirements happily catered for with advance notice. Guests are also welcome to join Katarina for yoga in the morning, followed by an incredible breakfast on the terrace with eggs from their own chickens cooked on a circular wood-fired hot plate.

Around an hour’s drive away in Maribor, Slovenia’s second largest city, with its colourful facades, canals and cobble-stoned streets, you can enjoy wine tasting in the Old Vine House which is home to the world’s oldest vine, which still produces a small amount of wine to this day. Maribor is also home to one of the most unusual restaurants I’ve ever been to: MAK. With mentions in the Michelin and Gault & Millau guides the unassuming-looking restaurant has no menu. Instead, you are served a five-course tasting menu according to the whims of extremely eccentric chef David Vračko who is a regular presence in the dining room.

Maribor[Missing Credit]

From morsels served hanging from breadsticks and seared with a miniature blow-torch in front of you to tiny wraps topped with pretty purple flowers neatly tucked into a bowl of wheat, there is a lot of theatre to the meal.  The food is undeniably imaginative and excellent but opinions were mixed on whether the presentation was fun, quirky and different or simply annoying. It’s probably a love it or hate it kind of place, and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it (though I certainly enjoyed the food.) 

Slovenia’s fourth-biggest city Celje in the Styria region in central Slovenia with its mediaeval architecture and castle is also worth a visit. Anyone with an interest in photography with enjoy the Pelikan House here. Renowned photographer Josip Pelikan, who is also commemorated in a statue of himself on a bicycle in the town, lived and worked here with his family for almost six decades.

It houses one of the few preserved glass photographic studios (with a fully glass wall and ceiling) in Europe and if you’re still feeling theatrical you can dress up in period clothing and have your picture taken here. The building has been recently restored, and gives an interesting insight into bourgeouis twentieth century living.

Nearby is also the excellent Lalu bistro, which specialises in excellent small plates and is owned and run by Chef Marki Pavčik who was recently awarded a Michelin star for his restaurant Pavus at Slovenia’s Tabor Castle in Laško.

Slovenia now has ten Michelin star restaurants, but wherever you go on the country and whatever your budget, you don’t have to look far to find excellent and interesting dishes.

For more information: slovenia.info/en

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