Vipava and slap

After our Teran hike we continued our journey, all of 20kms to Vipava and another wine region. We actually stayed in the village of Slap in couple of kms west of Vipava at the rustic Winery Žorž 1696. They have been making wine since (you’ve guessed it) 1696 and are one of the largest family run wineries in the Vipava Valley. The room was lovely with lots of rural touches, and Anja and her family were so welcoming. After they showed us around they finally pointed at the fridge full of wine and said for us to help ourselves!

Tempting as the offer was we made our way into Vipava for the afternoon. Vipava is a idyllic little town set on the (you’ve guessed it) the Vipava River, and could be considered a mini Venice with its streams and tributaries crisscrossing through the town, together with a number of picturesque bridges spanning the river.

We opted not to take the pleasant walk up to the old Vivapa castle which has loomed over the town since the eleventh century. Instead we stopped at the Lanthieri Mansion in the centre of town which houses the wine museum, in addition to the School for Viticulture and Enology. After that we just wandered around taking in the sights and architecture, we found the source of the Vipava river which was a little underwhelming, and also the Baumkirchner tower, and the beautiful Church of St Stephen with it’s beautiful frescoes.

We returned to Žorž for a couple of hours to relax and take a look around Slap which didn’t take long at all. You could actually spend a pleasant afternoon wandering around visiting the wineries in Slap which are all minutes away, there are at least 6 wineries a few minutes walk away from Žorž.

In the evening we returned to Vipava for one of the best meals we had experienced in a long time, Gostilna Krhne restaurant (tel 0386 51 247 035). Think rustic, no menu, quirky waiters, laid back ambience, quality ingredients and inventive cuisine.