A hour-by-hour plan to guide your trip.
Meet your guide at your hotel or at a designated point. We will pick you up with one of our comfortable, air-conditioned 8-seats mini-vans and we'll take you to one of the most renowned wines regions of Slovenia. During the drive to reach the region you'll be able to sit back and enjoy the ride while we introduce you to the area.
With a 20 minute comfortable van ride, we will start off the day with a visit to the ancient Vinakoper cellar. Constructed from the characteristic rock of the Slovene Istria - sandstone - which was transported during the building of the cellar from vineyards then under construction. Once there, a wine expert will welcome you and take you for the cellar visit, still used today for wine ageing. The sommelier will explain the sophisticated techniques of wine making and teach you to distinguish the different and various scents and flavors that each wine presents.
After the winery visit, our next stop will be at Skocjan caves. The UNESCO protected and the largest known underground canyon in the world holds a special place among the seven thousand caves in Slovenia. They comprise a network of eleven caves, with hollows, gorges, swallow holes, natural bridges among them many geological features.
The caves are also your chance to see at first hand the terroir of this wine growing region from "INSIDE OUT". Meet the soil from bellow and get to know this unique terroir intimately.
It is time for a second winery, the Lisjak homestead, where we will learn about wine & about the ageing of wines. After enjoying the vineyard views we will proceed to the winery restaurant for a typical Karst lunch consisting of delicious local cold cuts (prosciutto, salami etc.), some lovely home-made bred and finally finish off with cheese - all accompanied by a wine tasting of the winery's wonderful selection of great wines.
After lunch we'll continue on our road to Stanjel - a lovely medieval village very much off the beaten path. We'll stop for a much needed walk around before we head towards a third winery. There will be a little free time to visit the village for a stroll or shopping.
Stanjel is one of the oldest settlements in the Karst Region, known for its old village centre. It was named after the patron saint of the church, Saint Daniel. Due to its strategic location, the hill was already populated in prehistoric times and was fortified in antiquity. The first written mention of the area dates back to 1402.
Last, but certainly not least, we'll stop in an old Karst winery to learn about wines that are produced by the cellar and characteristics of the Karst climate and soil, which contribute to the specialty of the wines, cultivated in Karst.
As the third winery visit comes to an end you can get back into the comfort of the coach and we'll head back into the center of Koper.
We'll return home with full bellies, a happy heart and great memories, just in time for dinner. After a wonderful day of sightseeing, you will be dropped off at your hotel or at your pick up point.
Please Note: All scheduled times are an approximation and can vary slightly based on situations out of our control (traffic, weather, etc.)