Kras (or Karst in German and English, Carso in Italian) is a sub-region of the Primorski wine region in western Slovenia. Its name is more famous in geological circles than wine circles, as it was here that geographer Jovan Cvijic first studied and categorized the Karst landscape. Here, formations of bright white limestone (the essential ingredient of karst geology) provide the basis of the landscape, which is overlain with iron-rich red terra rossa, the result of millennia of limestone decay. The famous red soils of many Australian vineyard regions (Coonawarra in particular) have also been formed in this way, and offer the same benefits to viticulture.
In terms of topography, Kras is essentially a plateau, at the center of which is the town of Sezana. Just above, and inland from Trieste, the land here lies at roughly 1200ft (365m) and overlooks the Adriatic coast (specifically the Gulf of Trieste). Further inland, east from neighboring Vipava (Vipavska Dolina), the land rises again to another plateau, Mount Nanos, which is around 4300ft (1310m) above sea-level.
The best known Kras wine is Teran – a rich, aromatic red wine. Winemakers in Sezana have refined the Teran style over the centuries, and have created the Teranton, a robust and long-lived wine aged for several years before release. Made from ripe Refosk (Refosco) grapes, Teranton must undergoes a dramatically extended maceration period, sometimes for as long as two years. After this the wine is aged for three to six years in barrel, and a further few in bottle. Naturally this makes the wine very expensive, as the overheads are considerable. Teranton wine is much less common than straight Terano, as the ripeness levels required are reached only in the best vintages. The summers of 1979, 1985/6, 1989, 2003 and 2005 were particularly exciting in the Kras wine community.
Dry reds and white are also made on the limestone plateau here, mostly at its western edge where the terra rossa soils begin to thin. Refosco is also used here, as are Malvasia and Prosecco (Glera).
Located near the Julian Alps, Kras is wedged between snow-capped mountain peaks and the sun-baked Adriatic coastline. Fortunately the hills of Brda, just to the north, absorb much of the worst weather which blows down from the north, leaving Kras with a slightly warmer, sunnier climate than its sub-alpine neighbor. Nonetheless, from November through to April, the biting Bora wind, a katabatic wind which descends from the mountains, remains a significant feature of the climate . Fortunately, the Bora forms rarely during grape growing season, so Brda vineyards typically enjoy a warm environment, freshened by coastal breezes.
