Slovenia Wine Tours & Tastings
Slovenia has three wine regions, the oldest vine in the world, and a valley that helped invent orange wine, all within an hour and a half of the capital. This page maps Slovenian wine by region and compares the top-rated wine tours from Ljubljana and the coast: Goriška Brda and the Vipava Valley in the west, the Karst and Slovenian Istria toward the sea, and Maribor and Štajerska in the east.
The west, Primorska: Goriška Brda for Rebula and orange wines; the Vipava Valley for Zelen and Pinela; the Karst for Teran and pršut; Slovenian Istria for Refošk and Malvazija near Piran.
The east, Podravje: Maribor and Štajerska for aromatic whites and the Old Vine.
The south-east, Posavje: Cviček and light reds; a self-drive region.
Slovenian wine by region
Slovenia’s vineyards were planted by the Celts and organised by the Romans, and the country has kept the habit: 28,000 hectares in three regions, most of it white, most of it drunk at home, and a growing share of it made by winemakers the world now knows. The regions are Primorska in the west, Mediterranean and Italian-facing; Podravje in the east, continental and aromatic; and Posavje in the south-east, light and local. The tours reach Primorska and Podravje from Ljubljana in a day.
Goriška Brda
Hills of Rebula on the Italian border, a continuation of Collio, with walled villages, cherries in June and the producers who made orange wine famous. An hour and a half from Ljubljana. See Goriška Brda wine tours.
The Vipava Valley
An hour west of the capital, a valley scoured by the burja wind and planted with Zelen and Pinela, two grapes found nowhere else, and the country’s natural-wine hotspot. See Vipava Valley wine tours.
The Karst and Slovenian Istria
The Karst plateau above Trieste grows Teran on iron-red soil and dries pršut in the same wind; its osmice, pop-up farm taverns, open for a few days at a time to sell the family’s wine. Slovenian Istria, the short coast around Piran and Koper, grows Refošk and Malvazija among olives. See Piran food tours.
Maribor and Štajerska
The east is white-wine country: Laški rizling, Šipon, Sauvignon and sparkling from the hills around Maribor, Ptuj and Jeruzalem, and in Maribor itself the Old Vine, more than four hundred years old and still bearing. See Maribor wine tours.
When to go
Harvest is September into October; May, June and October for tastings; 11 November for St Martin’s Day, when the new wine is blessed everywhere and Maribor throws the biggest party.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Slovenia Wine Tours & Tastings
Frequently asked questions
Why Slovenia for wine?
Because it is small, serious and mostly undiscovered: native grapes, family cellars, orange-wine pioneers, and tastings that cost half of what they would across the border in Italy.
What wine is Slovenia known for?
Rebula and orange wines from Brda, Zelen and Pinela from Vipava, Teran from the Karst, Refošk from Istria, and aromatic whites from Štajerska.
Which Slovenian wine region is best to visit?
Goriška Brda for the famous names and the scenery; Vipava for natural wine and value; both are day trips from Ljubljana.
What is orange wine?
White grapes fermented with their skins like a red, giving an amber colour and tannin; Brda’s producers were among the first to make it famous.
Can I do a wine tour from Ljubljana in a day?
Yes; Vipava is an hour away, Brda an hour and a half, and day tours with two or three cellars and lunch run year-round.
What is the Old Vine in Maribor?
A Žametovka vine on the riverfront in Maribor, more than four hundred years old, recognised as the oldest fruiting vine in the world; its tiny harvest is bottled each year.