When Slovenia’s Yellow Wine Surprised Me in Pardes Hanna

I recently spent some time exploring Slovenia’s wine regions — the Vipava Valley and the stunning Karst. Both places blew me away with their natural wines and unique terroir, but there was one bottle I never encountered during my trip that later became one of my most memorable wine experiences. It happened back home in Israel, during a sweltering heat wave, sharing homemade sabich at a friend’s place in Pardes Hanna.

How I discovered Slovenian wine

The journey actually started months earlier with the Hebrew podcast “מוצר צריכה בסיסי.” They hosted an Israeli importer who specializes in Balkan wines, and his description of Slovenian bottles stuck with me — small family producers, natural techniques, singular terroirs, and wines that rarely leave the country.

A few weeks later my WhatsApp group for budget wine deals posted a special project for Slovenian wines. I bought a few bottles (including Štekar Emilio), tucked them into the wine fridge, then forgot about them. Only after returning from Slovenia, still buzzing from the trip, did I remember the stash.

Slovenia in brief

Slovenia punches above its weight in wine. With about 22,300ha under vine — roughly Alsace‑sized — it produces around 80–90 million liters of wine each year. About three quarters of production is white, and most wine is enjoyed domestically, with only a small share exported. The country’s three main wine regions are Primorska (Littoral), Podravje (Drava), and Posavje (Lower Sava). Primorska, bordering Italy, includes Goriška Brda and Vipava (largely white‑focused) and Karst and Istra (with more reds). Viticulture is deeply artisanal: tens of thousands of growers cultivate small holdings, typically well under a hectare per producer.

Sources:

• Slovenian wine overview and share of white wines, exports, regions: Wikipedia (Slovenian wine)
• Production scale and tradition: Think Slovenia (Slovenian Wine); Gilbert & Gaillard (Slovenia: A Land of Artisan Wine)
• Vineyard structure (average holding size): Slovenia Statistical Office — Vineyard Census 2020

The setup: sabich, friends, and a heat wave

Pardes Hanna, midday. The kind of heat that makes the idea of red wine feel like a dare. Friends gathered, sabich assembled: eggs, tahini, amba, herbs, crunchy veg, warm pita. I brought the Štekar Emilio — one of those “forgotten” Slovenian bottles — and finally pulled the cork.

First impressions

Nose

The first hit was intensely herbal — think Mediterranean garden after rain. Bold, almost heady, and very inviting.

Color

Let’s call it what it is: dehydrated‑yellow — the kind of deep, strong yellow that looks like “piss when you haven’t had enough water.” Not orange or amber; just very concentrated yellow.

Palate

The nose and palate lined up better than I expected. It was weird, in a good way — especially for someone who hadn’t spent much time with short‑maceration whites. What won the day was the salinity: it sliced through tahini’s richness and played beautifully with the pickled elements. The herbal notes mirrored the fresh herbs in the sabich. Right wine, right food, right day.

Štekar Emilio — what’s in the glass

Emilio is the Štekar family’s flagship white, named for Jure Štekar’s great‑grandfather. It’s 100% hand‑harvested Sauvignonasse (formerly Tocai Friulano) from the Pročno vineyard on marl (opoka) soils in Goriška Brda.

• Fermentation: spontaneous in stainless steel and used French oak
• Maceration: about 7 days on skins (2019 vintage)
• Aging: ~9 months in used French oak (vessels can vary by vintage)
• 2019 metrics: 13.07% ABV, total SO₂ ~35mg/L, ~2,500 bottles produced
• Certified organic

Source: Bon Vivant Imports — Štekar Emilio 2019 technical sheet.

The “oily” question

That slight oily feel? It can come from short skin contact, grape variety, and low‑intervention winemaking that preserves texture. It’s not a flaw; it adds body, carries flavor, and helps the wine hold its own at the table.

Why it worked

• Salty, herbal, textured — a bullseye with sabich’s fat, acid, and spice.
• Heat‑wave friendly — substance without heaviness, good acidity, and chillable.
• A door‑opener — an approachable way into natural and skin‑contact styles.

Real talk

This style isn’t for everyone. Some friends loved it; others raised an eyebrow. I loved it. It made me think, sparked conversation, and turned a casual lunch into a mini‑adventure.

Final thoughts

Slovenia still surprises me. Even after visiting, there’s always more to discover — especially when most of the country’s production stays at home and the best finds arrive through passionate importers and community projects. Next time I’m in Slovenia, Štekar is on the list. Next time a glass glows dehydrated‑yellow, I won’t judge it by the color.