A multigenerational winery dating back to the 1960s, Edi and Marica Simcic began with just 3.5 hectares of vines in Slovenia’s Brda Hills. After three decades of working with the Dobrovo Agricultural Cooperative, they bottled their first wine in 1989. In the 1990’s, their son Aleks took over with a clear vision to grow the estate and family business. Through careful focus in the cellar and vineyard, Aleks brought international recognition to the Simcic name.  The family’s philosophy has always been to express the true terroir of Brda, producing numerous bottlings from their vineyards. Today, the third generation — Aleks’s sons, Jure and Jakob — work alongside him, growing the estate to 13 hectares and a total production of 65,000 bottles. Jure and Jakob both gained valuable experience in the wine business outside of the family winery before returning home. The combined experience from within and outside the winery comes together to create wines of gravitas, that display complexity beyond others in the region. From experimenting with various fermentation vessels, to fermentations based on vineyard location and pick time, they are maniacal in their attention to detail and obsession with making the most compelling expressions of their terroir.

Brda, nestled in the hills just across the border from Friuli’s Collio region, is home to 1800 hectares of vines and is a historic winegrowing paradise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Rebula (Ribolla Gialla) and Merlot dominate plantings, thriving on the true Opoka (ponca) soils — mineral rich marl and sandstone. Cool southern alpine influences and warm northern Mediterranean influences meet here to create the perfect environment for textural yet mineral whites, and complex reds from extremely old Bordeaux varieties. The farming at Edi Simcic has always been sustainable, with no chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides such as glyphosate ever exposed to the soil. In the cellar, a native pied de cuvee is used to initiate fermentation. All varieties are aged in a combination of used and new barrique, resulting in wines that are polished, yet expressive of the distinct Brda terroir. Duet Lex & Kozana Merlot are two red wines that represent not only the exceptional output of the Simcic family, but the greatest red wines of Brda. Widely regarded in the region and among wine lovers as one of Slovenia’s greatest winemaking families, the Edi Simcic winery continues to evolve and mature as the third generation steps into the helm of operations.