Metka and Simon Valentan have their family farm in the Štajerska appellation of northeastern Slovenia, tucked among Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. There are 4 hectares of certified organic vineyards and 16 more hectares of forests, fruit and nut trees, vegetable gardens, grains, and animals. The vineyard soils are very rocky and rich in marl.
Modra frankinja is the Slovenian name for blaufränkisch - the most important red variety of neighboring Austria and also important in Hungary (with the name kékfrankos). But the grape also is starting to make a name for itself in this part of Slovenia. Valentan’s version is grown in their Schlossberg vineyard. After natural fermentation with 20 days of maceration, the wine spends nine months aging on the lees in 500-liter oak barrels. There is both freshness and dark-fruited depth, exuberance and elegance, spice and earth. The fruit has ripeness, but at an alcohol content less than 12% - something that we note often in reds from Central and Eastern Europe. Pairing ideas include meat, cheese, or mushroom dumplings; stews; and smoked sausages.
