late September 2026

the Dolenjska

The Dolenjska region is in the southeast corner of Slovenia and where we spent 3 days at a vineyard cottage near the town of Nova Mesto. The cottage we stayed in was situated above the wine cellar, to which we had access should we decide to fill our own bottle of wine while staying there (€5)!

Our very energetic and smiling host Matjaž treated us to a presentation our first night that included a review of wine-making history in the Dolesnjska, wine tasting, and a board of homemade breads, dried meats and soft cheese.

We learned about his different grapes and the most important wine of the region, Cviček. It is a unique (and legally protected) wine made of white and red grapes with a very low alcohol content. The vineyards in the Dolenjska area are small which means most of the wines are consumed locally, and the farms often remain in families for generations. Matjaž was the perfect ambassador for the wines of this region!