Vino Falot

Falot bottles
Vino FalotRegion: ŠTAJERSKA PODRAVJE - SVEČINA
Address: Rošpoh - del 5, 2351 Kamnica, SlovenijaOn north hills above SvecinaPhone: +386 51352865Website: http://www.falot.siContact: Janez Valdhuber 051/352-865, vino@falot.siOwner/Winemaker: Janez ValdhuberVineyards: 5 Hectares

Falot means ‘naughty boy.’ Which is a little puzzling because Janez Valduber is quite a serious winemaker. He teaches winemaking/grapegrowing at university in Maribor and is an excellent font of information on Slovenian wine and is especially insightful in offering back ground analysis on the state of art there.

Janez and his brother Bogomir, owner of Valdhuber across the hill, split their father’s largest vineyards which climbs up a long steeply elevated slope opposite Falot’s winery. Falot also draws fruit from newer plantings adjacent to his winery and another bordering Kuster’s single vineyard in Plac 4 km away. This provides a wide range of grape characters to experiment with and blend into final products. 

With climate change steadily increasing the region’s temperature considerable attention is focused on fighting this trend. In response he has been moving some varieties downhill into cooler spots, where previously uphill sites were preferred to avoid frost. And where previously southern exposure was sought out, now sites on east and west side of hills are preferred. Similarly, where leaves were formerly removed from around grape bunches to improve ripening, now leaves are left on to shade and slow down that process. 

Ever focused on experimentation, Janez showed me his latest projects looking at two different wine making approaches impacted wine from two different vineyards. The main difference was no versus extended skin contact before fermentation. The first no contact wine from his home vineyard showed fresh, spicy salad-like florals and was lively and fresh in the mouth. The same grapes with more skin contact showed more savory aromas and was denser and more concentrated in the mouth. Shifting the same formula to his Plac vineyard found the no contact wine with brighter, mintier, brighter, lighter characters, whereas add longer skin contact also made that wine darker, more savory with more density and concentration in the mouth. 

View Falot wine notes here

Falot vineyard

Falot people and dog

Wine-maker Janez Valdhuber

Falot tasting room

Tasting room