Doppler Winery

The Doppler Winery is onto its 3rd generation and is situated in the ‘up-and-coming’ Styria wine-growing region in the north eastern end of Slovenia, 360 metres above sea level. They are a leading producer in the new and exciting scene full of orange wine, pét-nat and other low intervention styles. Their journey began in 1815 with Admont Benedictine's first vine planting. Ivan Doppler acquired their estate in 1938, who himself came from a winegrowing family. His acquisition represented a life-long dream as well as a means of livelihood. After 89 successful harvests he passed his knowledge and passion onto his daughter Veronika Krsnik, who took over in 2002. Now her daughter Mihaela is in charge of operations. Their philosophy of dedicating their efforts to preserving nature and upholding tradition have continued. Doppler winery meticulously craft the finest wines using selective harvest from local vineyards in the renowned Styrian wine-growing region and their reputation extends far beyond the borders of Slovenia. Their focus on seasonal variations in harvests means they can skilfully create wines that showcase the art and unique characteristics of each vintage. The vast hill in which their estate is based is bathed in sunlight and serves as a colossal sun terrace, getting 2000+ hours of sunshine annually. During autumn when the grapes are ripening, there is a good diurnal range with the noticeable temperature variations between day and night, allowing for effective development of acidity as well as good ripening of their fruit. The region is characterised by rolling hills, and sits in between the Alps and the Pannonian Plain. Their 9-hectare estate provides a stunning 360-degree view of the Šentilj hills and the Pesica valley that surround it. The soil is nutrient rich and comprised of layered Pleistocene clay, sandstone and marl coupled with its naturally high PH facilitates their production of distinctly mineral wine. Described as a sub-Pannonian climate, Styria is sheltered by the mountains but has also has competing influences with wet winds from the west, drier winds from the south and cooler winds from the Alps which means they experience cold winters and warm, dry summers. The wine that stands out globally is their awarding-winning sparkling ‘Diona’ , which is seen as their crowing jewel. They say “We nurture the vines, follow the weather and observe the earth.”

A beautiful light pink in colour. A full bouquet of red fruit, strawberries, raspberries and a little cherry. On the palate the yeast balances the flavour making a tart edge to the wine. Lively acidity and delicious minerality.

Drink with a cream based simple dessert, or as an aperitif

The 'Pét-nat' method, short for 'pétillant naturel' meaning ’natural sparkling', is a wine made according to the ancestral method which predates the Champagne classic method. It is the process of one single continuous fermentation. The still fermenting juice is bottled before completion, resulting in wine that is gently fizzy, with residual sugar, and a little hazy due to it being unfiltered. The bubbles are created from trapping Co2 inside the bottle which also preserves the liquid.

Joanna Simon, Wine of the Week, April 2024: "Let’s get the name out of the way: Pet Nut is the Doppler winery’s jokey name for this gently sparkling, lightly cloudy, copper-pink pet-nat (or pétillant naturel). The colourful label incorporates what I can only describe as a deconstructed squirrel and the back label refers to it as ‘a crazy Squirrel’. No, me neither, but I love the wine. It’s not that it's especially complex, just that it's out and out delicious: refreshing and dry (although not bone dry) with flavours of raspberry, cherry and red apple and a touch of tree-bark bitterness and frothy cappuccino creaminess."