The Kabaj Homestead (pronounced kah-BYE) has been producing some of Slovenia’s most prized vintages since the early 1990s. The award-winning winery owes its fame to a literal and figurative marriage of French winemaking know-how and traditions with Slovenia’s unique terroir, climate and grape varieties. The literal marriage is between Paris-born Jean Michel Morel, who arrived in Goriška Brda after perfecting his craft at prestigious wine estates in Perpignan, Bordeaux and nearby Friuli in Italy, and Katja Kabaj, whose family has called the region home for generations. After the pair got married, they decided to begin to bottle wine from the Kabaj estate instead of selling the grapes. The decision has paid off. Kabaj has regularly been named in Wine & Spirits Top 100 Wineries of The Year.

The family cultivates 12 hectares of local vineyards, with white wine accounting for some two-thirds of production and all vintages aged in French oak barrels for at least one year. Known as “The White Queen of Brda”, the autochthonous Ribolla Gialla grape, or Rebula as it is known in Slovenia, takes pride of place amongst its fellow varieties and arrived in Slovenia after a journey not unlike Mr Morel’s: originating in Greece and making its way to Italy before finding an ideal home in the rolling hills of the Brda region. Boasting a golden yellow colour, wine produced from Ribolla is dominated by vanilla notes and fruity hints of peach and grape.

Kabaj produces beautiful white wines, all of which have some level of skin-contact. These “orange” wines are then given oak treatment are only released when Morel believes they are ready to be drunk, so you don’t have to wonder whether to hold or open. This is especially true of the reds, which are earthy, bold yet elegant. These wines are highly sought after globally and Kabaj has been a leader in putting Slovenia on the wine map!