Looking for a genuinely ‘local’ experience in Ljubljana? Want to get off the beaten track somewhat? Don’t bother with any of the other guides, suggestions or tips; the best way to get off the beaten track is by visiting a special little wine bar off the main drag by the canal. Storija Wine store, you’re a special, special place.

It was our second night in Ljubljana. We’d already sampled some excellent wines at Suklje Wine Bar the night before, and were looking to dig deeper into the wide array of biodynamic and natural producers that abound in Slovenia. Both of us love raw, weird wines, and were searching for some wines that spoke to region, place, and strongly abided by the principles of ‘less is more’ when it comes to wine-making. We had a place in mind. A little wine shop called Storija, located just by the canal that cuts through town. We’d heard it was good, that the owner David carried wines we couldn’t even dream of getting back home. We heard that it was ‘kind of a shop’ but also ‘a place you can have a glass or two.’ Intrigued, we hurried through the cold streets of Ljubljana, huddled against the winter chill.

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When we arrived, we were met with the sight of three Slovenia men, huddled around a communal table, tucking into cold cut meat and sipping some very weird looking wine. About them was stacked boxes and boxes of wine. Each was labelled with a various descriptor - on read ‘No s02’, while another merely said, ‘strange merlot.’ We took a quick turn around the shop, listening to the raucous and genuinely funny conversation the men were having. As we explored the wines on display, we realized that we were looking at a veritable Library of Alexandria of natural wine, with a strong focus on hyper-local and regional Slovenian producers. David, the owner greeted us and showed us around, talking us through a small fraction of the two thousand or so bottles he had tucked away in the shop. None of the big names were here. Instead, we were looking at curious skin-contact orange wines, bizarre pinot-gris that had been left on lees and some very funky, fruit forward cab-savs. To say that we were intrigued would be a gross, gross understatement.

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After a while, we settled on tasting a skin-contact Rebulla by Kmetija Stekar, and sipped away at two glasses. The men at the table gestured us to sit down and we joined them, introducing ourselves and clinking glasses. They were huddled about a bottle of a Serbian wine. One of the men spoke;

‘They don’t have the knowledge yet. Give them ten years and they’ll be making the best wine in the Balkans.’

And it was true - they gave me a glass of the skin-contact pinot gris and it was out of this world good. Funky, superb tasting and very unique, the wine was an outstandingly good introduction to a wine region we’d never heard of. This was to be something of a theme that night, trying out wines with weird names, strange colours and superb flavours.

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In time we’d finished our glasses and had ordered a bottle of another skin-contact drop, this time by Jure Stekar - a dry, 2017 from the Snezatno region. We were blown away. It was the best skin-contact wine we’d ever tasted, and we shared our bottle around with the other guys as the told us of Ljubljana, the rising problem of home ownership in the country, and something of their guitar collections. I bantered with one, discussing our relative obsessions with Fender, while we discussed Kate Bush, The Beatles and all things Slovenian Wine. Carlie spoke with the owner David, asking him about Slovenian wine, discussing why it was so good, and probably trying to figure out how to get it back home in Australia. Surrounded by good company, some excellent wine and in extremely cosy surrounds, we whiled away a few hours just so. The cold night outside no impediment to the banter and chat inside, we sampled another wine by Stekar, a heavier, bolder Rebula, still skin-contact, but with more body. Unsurprisingly, we were blown away, and sipped away at our glasses like naughty school children, afraid to share.

Unfortunately, David maintains vaguely normal hours, and needed to close the shop up. We circled the shelves, debating which wines to buy, what wold we could carry, how far the budget could stretch.

‘Maybe just one pet-nat, two skin-contacts and a Refosk?’

‘No way,’ said Carlie. ‘We’re not leaving without that Stekar that we tried.’

Unable to debate so excellent a point, we made our purchases and, now laden with wine, made our way back into the night. David bade us farewell, reminding us to come again with larger bags. We promised him that we would. And you know what? We were back the next night.

Storija Wine Store is located at Trubarjeva cesta 17, Ljubljana, which is one street back from the canal. The shop is open from 11 am - 8 pm on weekdays, and is closed on weekends. David doesn’t seem to have a website, but does have an instagram, which he updates sporadically. Storija offers wine by the glass and the bottle, and you can drink both in store. While the store itself is pretty small, there are seats outside that can be used in a pinch. Go there with an open mind and a willingness to try wines by producers that you’ve never heard of before. We certainly did and left edified, wallets somewhat lighter, but hearts considerably fuller, having learned about Slovenian wine making, organic viticulture, and something of the city’s history in the process.

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