Why it matters
The producer
Zlati Grič works from the Škalce wine-growing area above Slovenske Konjice, where its 70 hectares supply a range far wider than a single grape or bottle style. Winemaker Sašo and the team describe the vineyard work as integrated production, while cellar handling is kept simple and based on minimal additions. That combination puts aromatic fruit at the centre: Chardonnay stays bright through stainless-steel vinification and lees ageing, Sauvignon keeps its herbal citrus edge, and Red Habit carries its fruit into a wood-aged red-wine shape.
Zlati Grič divides its wine production between a modern cellar and the nearby Žiče Charterhouse. The main cellar is 3,500 square metres and can store up to 1.3 million litres, but sparkling wine follows a different route after production: it matures in the Charterhouse’s vaulted cellar, which dates to the 12th century. Archive wines also age there. A bottle of Zlati Grič sparkling wine therefore moves from a contemporary winery operation into the stone-vaulted cellar of a Carthusian monastery complex, where the producer keeps it for maturation before release.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Škalce sits in Podravina, within the broader Štajerska Slovenija district. At 5,400 hectares, Štajerska Slovenija is Slovenia’s largest wine-growing district and is known for sparkling wine, which makes Zlati Grič’s own sparkling programme more than a side line. The estate’s position above Slovenske Konjice supplies the geographical frame for bottles labelled by grape and style rather than by a narrowly documented village appellation: aromatic whites sit alongside red blends, sweet wines and sparkling wines from the same producer.
The Chardonnay provides the clearest documented site cue. It is described with fruit and floral aromas, juicy acidity and a slight mineral character linked to soil and location. Rather than attaching an unverified soil name to Škalce, the useful point is in the glass: the wine’s mineral edge does not replace fruit or acidity, but sits beneath them and keeps the palate moving after its six months on fine lees.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The producer says its grapes have high aromatic potential, and its handling is designed to preserve that freshness rather than bury it. Integrated grape production guides the vineyard work; in the cellar, minimal additions and simple production leave room for elderflower, citrus and herbal notes in Sauvignon, and for the fruit-and-flower character of Chardonnay.
The cellar choices then divide the range by purpose. Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel and spends six months on fine lees, which adds juice and texture without an overt oak note. Red Habit’s Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir are vinified separately, then spend 16 months in large wood and used barriques; that longer élevage rounds the palate and softens the tannin. Sparkling wines mature at the Charterhouse, while Black Label wines use wood and concrete and appear only in selected vintages.
Wines to know
The range in view
Zlati Grič’s range moves across white, red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines rather than concentrating on one estate formula. Creative is the signature line for fresh wines, where aromatic fruit and acidity take the lead. Black Label moves toward wood and concrete maturation, giving selected-vintage wines more weight and a different textural frame.
Among the named bottles, Chardonnay shows the clean-lined white-wine side: fruit and floral aromas, lively acidity, a juicy body and a slight mineral note after lees ageing. Sauvignon takes a more herbal direction, with elderflower and citrus above pronounced acidity and a chalk-like mineral touch. Red Habit, a Premium Line blend of Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir, brings pepper, fruit and minerality into a rounded red with soft tannins and fresh acidity. The sparkling wines add mousse and bottle-ageing potential to the range through their Charterhouse maturation.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Choose the Zlati Grič Chardonnay first. It is fermented in stainless steel, aged for six months on fine lees, and gives a direct view of the producer’s aromatic, fresh-wine approach without oak taking over. Expect fruit and floral aromas, juicy acidity, a lightly textured palate and a slight mineral finish. It comes first because its grape, cellar method and glass profile are all clearly defined, making it an especially useful way into the white-wine side of the range.