Cviček is red wine from Slovenia, more precisely from lower carniola Dolenjska. Wine is very unique, it is made from both white and red grape species. Its secret is in blending various reds with white varieties. It has an attractive, light red colour with a slight ruby cast, and fresh fruity aromas, with an emphasis on red fruits (raspberry, cherry and red currant). Alcohol level reaches from 8.5-10%, which is relatively low. It is known as sour and poor wine, but still very popular drink among local people and visitors.

HISTORY

The lower carniola was a contituent part of the March of carniola in the middle ages, and it was named Marvin. All this was mentioned by Janez Vajkard Valvasor in his work “The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola”. People started to neglect vineyards with the abolition of old viticultural system, causing that wine quailty started to drop. It became more and more sour, so people started to call it Cviček (old Slovenian word denoting very sour wine) and somehow the name stuck, allegedly also because of the synonymous German expression zwikt. People of Dolenjska region started to defend the quality of the wine, after gaining independence. And today it is a popular drink among people.

WINE STYLE

It is common for Cviček to have a characteristic acidity; this, however, does not necessarily imply it has to be too sour. Some might say it would be inappropriate to make it sweeter in order to gain wider acceptance, but slightly acidic taste goes great with traditional hearty Slovenian food.

PRODUCTION

Cviček is produced by a complex process where a mixture of different varieties of grapes are added together to create the final product. The main ingredient of the wine is Žametna Črnina which composes 45% of Cviček. It generally is an old wine type which requires a lot of sun. Despite this, it does not contain a high amount of sugar but does have enough acidic qualities to be the basic ingredient. Žametna is the oldest type of grape vine in Europe, being at least 400 years old, and it grows in the ancient part of Maribor. Modra Frankinja or Blue Franconian, as it’s known, is another wine which makes up Cviček and this gives the wine its full flavour. Kraljevina is then added which is a white wine and is used to change the acidity level so that the wine is more drinkable. Laški Rizling, or Italian Riesling, can occasionally be added. This is because there is no exact formula to Cviček and so every Cviček Winemaker has their own taste of Cviček which is unique to their vineyard. The alcohol level can also be altered but can not more than 10% volume. It can be an issue during especially hot seasons which create more sugar in the grapes, because this means a higher alcohol volume during the wine making process. To counterbalance this, the amount of Žametovka is increased as this has a much lower alcohol content.