Slovenian wines to watch

The Times panel held a blind tasting of wines from two of Slovenia's wine regions: Primorska (near Friuli, Italy) and Podravje (which borders Austria's Steiermark region). The white wines -- most colored a distinctive bright yellow -- included six different varietals and a few blends. Winemaker influence trumped the expected varietal characteristics in these surprising wines. The reds were a Pinot Noir, a Refosk (Refosco) and an unusual blend. Because they were so varied, we did not rate them but listed our five favorite whites and two favorite reds first. Most are priced from $16 to $26 per bottle; one is $50. Joining me were Food columnist Russ Parsons, restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila and assistant Food editor Betty Hallock.

January 30, 2008