The Vipava Valley, between the Karst and the Mediterranean

Vipava wine, Zelèn and Pinela

The valley makes whites and reds, which its tourist board calls elegant, fresh and fruity, with plenty of natural farming and young winemakers working biodynamically. It’s best known for its whites and the Vipavec blend. Rebula has the longest tradition, alongside Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia, Welschriesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. Merlot leads the reds. What sets it apart are its eight old native varieties, such as Zelèn, Pinela, Klarnica, Pergolin and Poljšakica, and the tourist board says no other wine region has as many. The Slovenian Tourist Board adds that Decanter magazine recognised three natural wines from the valley among the best in the world. For wine beyond this valley, see Slovenian wine.

Vipava, Ajdovščina and the valley villages

Ajdovščina grew out of a Roman military fort, and its restored towers and narrow lanes give the old centre its character. Vipava is built over the rare delta-shaped source of its river, criss-crossed by little bridges, with the Baroque Lanthieri Manor on the square, and the Slovenian Tourist Board says it’s the only inverted delta in Europe. On a hillock in the middle of the valley, Vipavski Križ keeps its walls, the ruins of its castle and a Capuchin monastery with a sizeable library. Goče, first recorded in the 14th century, is a fine example of the valley’s rural architecture and is best known today for its surprising number of wine cellars.

Nature and the outdoors

More than two thirds of the nature in the valley and around Nova Gorica is protected, much of it within Natura 2000. To the north the valley is closed off by the southern rim of the Trnovo Forest, a landscape park of sheer walls, natural bridges and rock shelters. Here you find the Otlica natural window and the Skozno natural bridge, the Hubelj spring, the valley’s largest water source, and hladnikia, a plant found nowhere else on Earth, confined to a few square kilometres of this forest. Near St Mary’s Church above Vitovlje is Lake Vitovlje, the only natural lake in the valley.

Cycling has a year-round season, and on calmer days the slopes of the Gora plateau fill with paragliders and hang-gliders. When the bora blows hard the valley has sheltered corners, and the villages have enclosed yards behind stone portals to keep it out.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Vipava for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Jota and the valley’s food

The valley’s motto is from garden to table, with fruit and vegetables all year and seasonal dishes. The dish that sums it up is Vipava jota, a stew of turnip fermented in grape pomace with cured meat or sausage, served on farms, in inns and in restaurants. The Renaissance Zemono Manor near Vipava holds a Michelin-starred restaurant, Gostilna pri Lojzetu, run by chef Tomaž Kavčič, which according to the Slovenian Tourist Board serves the Vipava Valley on a plate.

Castles

The valley was once full of castles and manors, and a few have survived. Rihemberk Castle, above Branik, listed by local tourism as one of Slovenia’s oldest, offers role-play tours and family experiences, and Vipava still has the Lanthieri and Zemono manors.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Vipava for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.