Why it matters
The producer
Vinakoper is Slovenia's largest winery, based in Koper, the Adriatic port city at the western edge of the Primorska wine region. Founded in 1947 as a post-war cooperative, it now farms 570 hectares across the coastal hills above the city. No other Slovenian producer works at this scale.
The house is built around indigenous Adriatic varieties. Refosk, the red grape also known as Refosco on the Italian side of the border, drives the red range. Alongside it, Vinakoper plants Cipro and a coastal Malvasia not widely grown elsewhere. Seventy percent of production is red. The Capris tier carries the premium range; bottles labeled Koper sit below it and prioritise varietal freshness over oak ageing.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Koper sits at the northernmost point of the Adriatic, where Slovenia's narrow coastal strip meets the Karst plateau. The hills behind the city rise sharply from the waterfront, and the vineyards occupy those slopes, catching warm sea breezes from the south and retaining heat through the growing season. The Primorska wine region extends from this coastal fringe inland toward the Italian border, and Vinakoper's vineyards occupy the warmest, most maritime part of it.
The Adriatic climate shapes the red wines directly. Long, warm summers allow Refosk, a grape prone to producing lean, sharp wine in cooler years, to ripen into something dark-fruited and rounded. The sea air moderates summer heat enough to preserve acidity through harvest. The result in the glass is a red with ripe dark fruit and enough freshness to stay lively alongside food.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Seventy percent of the 570 hectares are planted to red varieties, with Refosk dominant across the coastal hill sites. White varieties, at thirty percent, include Malvasia and Sivi Pinot (Pinot Gris). The production split reflects both the warm climate and the house's deliberate emphasis on red wine.
In the cellar, all reds in the Capris range are aged in oak. White wines are aged in acacia barrels, oak, or stainless steel, depending on the variety: acacia for aromatic freshness, oak for added weight and texture, stainless for clean varietal expression. The barrel room is built three-quarters underground into the hillside, holding a constant 53 degrees Fahrenheit regardless of the season above ground.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Capris tier leads the range across both red and white wines. The Capris Refosk is 100 percent Refosk, deep ruby in colour with violet edges, and carries ripe blackberry, cherry and plum on the nose with background spice from the oak ageing. On the palate it is full-bodied and fruit-forward, with soft tannins and a juicy acidity that keeps the finish lively.
The Capris Cabernet Sauvignon brings a more internationally familiar frame to the range: darker in fruit, firmer in the mouth, and aged in oak in the same cellar as the Refosk. The Capris Malvasia handles the white flagship role, drawing on a coastal variety with its own character distinct from the Malvasia grown further south in Italy or on the Dalmatian islands.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Capris Refosk is the right first bottle from Vinakoper. It is 100 percent Refosk, macerated for up to two weeks to extract colour and tannin, then aged for a minimum of 12 months in large oak barrels and barriques. The wine is deep ruby with violet edges, ripe dark fruit on the nose, soft tannins, and a juicy acidity that carries through the finish. Drinking it explains both the grape and the house approach in a single glass: a warm-climate Adriatic red, oak-aged to add weight and spice, kept lively by the coastal freshness that the hillside sites preserve.