Although I also like a good beer, wine has always been of more interest to me. Always trying to visit nearby vineyards when on holidays, never skip a tasting opportunity.

Wine regions are almost always a joy to look at and make the mind wonder...

What happens in those vineyards during the year, what are the local grape varieties, what choices are made in the winery and what happens in the cellar until you find wine in your glass. Mysterious to most of us....

Over the years I read quite a bit about wine and attended multiple tasting sessions. Still, I was not able to explain style and quality by tasting. 

One of my friends transformed his wine hobby into his profession and is on his way to be magister vini, the highest possible grade in wine education in the Netherlands. He advised me about the steps to take and which education to do

​

After a successful career as a veterinary doctor I am lucky to be able to spend quite a bit of time in my holiday home, hisa Kal, in Slovenia.

Slovenia has a very long wine tradition. Wines here were made long before the Romans introduced viticulture to France and Spain. Despite that and their biological ways, Slovenian wines are not really known to the public although some can compete with the very best.

​

The autumn image above is what I see when I look out of my window and right behind the hill's on the left lies the beautiful wine region of Goriska Brda.

​

Loving wine, living near vineyards but still not being able to determine what is going on in that glass made me decide to follow the advice of my friend and in 2018 started a dutch level 3 wine course which resulted in a certificate and the start of more. Afterwards I followed an international course at the WSET.

​

Under the name Aldovino I will continue my wine journey. Exploring the grapes, wine types, the regions, getting to know the winemakers and build a network is what I like to do.

Then, invite groups of people to Hisa Kal and let them discover this beautiful region, the winemakers and their amazing wines!

​

​

​