📍 Karst

Karst (Kras) is a wine district on a limestone plateau in western Slovenia, next to the Italian city of Trieste. It is part of the Primorska wine region. The soil here is red and rich in iron, the winds are strong and summers are hot. The name of the district also denotes a type of landscape: the Karst has many caves and gorges formed by water in limestone.

The district's main wine is Teran. It is a red wine from the Refošk grape planted on red, iron-rich soil. It is very dark, with high acidity and a bright berry taste. The name "Teran" is protected as a traditional Slovenian designation, alongside other protected names in Slovenia. Among whites, Vitovska is especially interesting, a local white grape grown on the plateau and in Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. It is a cross between Prosecco Tondo and Malvasia Bianca Lunga.

The wines of the Karst come out strong and distinctive: red Teran suits meat dishes, and Vitovska is a white wine with a mineral character.

The district borders Italy and shares cultural traditions with it, so the names of wines and grapes appear on both sides of the border.