A Good Drop

Rolling hills, circled by terraces with grapevines, characterize the region of Styria in eastern Slovenia. The wines from here are fruity, fragrant and distinctive, in particular the whites -- Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon.

In recent years, wines from here have won many prizes, especially in the United States. But when you're a winegrower with a small vineyard in a small European country, it can be a struggle to make your drop distinctive in the big European barrel.

Miro Munda is one of a new generation of vintners who saw opportunities even before Slovenia joined the European Union in May 2004.

"I personally started one joint venture with colleagues from Austria," said Munda, whose vineyard is located near the Slovenian village of Jerusalem. "We started to work together in 2002, before we joined the EU. Now, it's easier because the borders no longer exist." Paper work was now processed much more quickly, he said.

Growers should focus on quality, not quantity

Slovenia's wine industry will get about 2.3 million euros ($3 million) from the European Commission this year. The funds are helping to restructure the industry, improving the quality of the wine and making it easier for farmers to replant with more popular varieties.

But it's a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of euros to be spent Europe-wide. Much of that money will go to France and Italy, where there's overproduction and growers will be paid to stop making wine.

The European Commission wants growers to concentrate on quality, rather than quantity. Munda said that's exactly his plan.

"What we must do is present Slovenia more, so that the European market will know that Slovenia exists as a winemaking country, that we have good quality and that we are not a threat for any European winemaking country, because we are not so big," Munda said.

Ptuj's wines stick to tradition

Slovenia's oldest city Ptuj is home to the 500-year-old Ptujska cellar. The grape tradition around here began with the Romans and tradition seeps from the huge oak casks in the cellars under the city.

"Our wines are in the style of fruity, fresh wines with lifted varietal aromas," said Ptuj's chief winemaker Bojan Kobal. "Those primary aromas should come out from the grapes in the wine and this is the major strength in our wines."

About five years ago, the Ptuj cellar realized Slovenia's pending membership of the EU could either give it a lift or a big hangover. It would be able to access Europe's markets -- but it faced competition from all of Europe and the flood of wines coming in from Australia, Chile, the United States and other countries.

So, with just a little help from the EU and a lot of hard work of their own, the Ptuj cellars changed -- but tried to hang on to their strengths.

"We changed our style of wine a little bit, because of the European market and its consumers," Kobal said. "But we still have these traditional primary aromas, which are due to our climate." He said this was a major strong point.

"So I think with these things, we can export more recognizable Slovenian wine for the foreign consumer," Kobal said.

Slovenia faces a tough marketing task

But how can Slovenian winemakers get their bottles from the cellars of Ptuj to a featured place on the shelves of upmarket shops in London or Brussels? It can be done, but it's a tough marketing exercise, said Dusan Brejc, director of the Slovenian Wine Association. He said the association was promoting modern style wines.

"This year, we will present some new, updated kinds of wines at the London wine fair -- ones that are kind of fruity and floral, easy to drink, with enough body," Brejc said. He said the association has successfully been working with fine winemakers for the past three years.

"Finally, Slovenia might become a wine destination -- and not just the wine for tasting, but for buying as well," Brejc said. "That's what we're aiming at."

Slovenia's wine industry will always be a mere sip out of Europe's great wine lake. But the vintners and farmers seem determined to make that sip a special one. Their strategy is quality before quantity, as well as creative marketing to put the country on the world wine map. And they're counting on the EU to help them do it.