The producer
Zlati Grič tends 70 hectares in the Škalce wine-growing area above Slovenske Konjice, in Slovenia’s Podravina region. Winemaker Sašo works with integrated grape production and a cellar approach based on minimal additions, keeping aromatic fruit and acidity in view: Chardonnay gains a juicy, lightly textured palate from six months on fine lees, while Sauvignon leads with elderflower, citrus and herbs.
The range runs from white, red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines to more structured selections. Red Habit blends Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir, separately vinified and aged for 16 months in large wood and used barriques for soft tannin, fresh acidity and peppery fruit. Sparkling wines mature in the vaulted 12th-century cellar at the nearby Žiče Charterhouse.
Known for
Aromatic Slovenian whites and a broad cellar range, from lees-aged Chardonnay and herbal Sauvignon to wood-aged Red Habit and Charterhouse-matured sparkling wine.
Notable facts
- Zlati Grič is based in the Škalce wine-growing area above Slovenske Konjice, between Ljubljana and Maribor.
- The producer states that it tends 70 hectares of vineyards and follows integrated grape production.
- Its Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel and spends six months on fine lees.
- Red Habit blends Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir, with 16 months in large wood and used barriques.
- Sparkling wines mature in the vaulted 12th-century cellar at Žiče Charterhouse.
From the atlas
Zlati Grič
At A Glance
- Where: Škalce, above Slovenske Konjice in Slovenia’s Podravina region, between Ljubljana and Maribor.
- Scale: 70 hectares of vineyards, using the producer’s current figure.
- Winemaker: Sašo, working with integrated grape production and minimal additions in the cellar.
- Range: White, red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines; Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Red Habit show three distinct directions.
- Cellar detail: Sparkling wines mature in the vaulted 12th-century cellar of the nearby Žiče Charterhouse.
The Producer
Zlati Grič works from the Škalce wine-growing area above Slovenske Konjice, where its 70 hectares supply a range far wider than a single grape or bottle style. Winemaker Sašo and the team describe the vineyard work as integrated production, while cellar handling is kept simple and based on minimal additions. That combination puts aromatic fruit at the centre: Chardonnay stays bright through stainless-steel vinification and lees ageing, Sauvignon keeps its herbal citrus edge, and Red Habit carries its fruit into a wood-aged red-wine shape.
Place
Škalce sits in Podravina, within the broader Štajerska Slovenija district. At 5,400 hectares, Štajerska Slovenija is Slovenia’s largest wine-growing district and is known for sparkling wine, which makes Zlati Grič’s own sparkling programme more than a side line. The estate’s position above Slovenske Konjice supplies the geographical frame for bottles labelled by grape and style rather than by a narrowly documented village appellation: aromatic whites sit alongside red blends, sweet wines and sparkling wines from the same producer.
Soil And Site
The Chardonnay provides the clearest documented site cue. It is described with fruit and floral aromas, juicy acidity and a slight mineral character linked to soil and location. Rather than attaching an unverified soil name to Škalce, the useful point is in the glass: the wine’s mineral edge does not replace fruit or acidity, but sits beneath them and keeps the palate moving after its six months on fine lees.
Story
Zlati Grič links the local wine story to Carthusian monks and more than 800 years of regional tradition, yet its present operation is built at a much larger practical scale. The main cellar covers 3,500 square metres and can hold up to 1.3 million litres of wine. That capacity supports a range extending from fresh white wines to barrel-aged red blends, while the nearby Žiče Charterhouse takes on a separate role for sparkling and archive wines. The result is an estate where stainless steel, lees, wood, concrete and a medieval vaulted cellar all appear in different parts of the range.
Vineyards And Cellar
The producer says its grapes have high aromatic potential, and its handling is designed to preserve that freshness rather than bury it. Integrated grape production guides the vineyard work; in the cellar, minimal additions and simple production leave room for elderflower, citrus and herbal notes in Sauvignon, and for the fruit-and-flower character of Chardonnay.
The cellar choices then divide the range by purpose. Chardonnay is fermented in stainless steel and spends six months on fine lees, which adds juice and texture without an overt oak note. Red Habit’s Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir are vinified separately, then spend 16 months in large wood and used barriques; that longer élevage rounds the palate and softens the tannin. Sparkling wines mature at the Charterhouse, while Black Label wines use wood and concrete and appear only in selected vintages.
Wines
Zlati Grič’s range moves across white, red, rosé, sparkling and sweet wines rather than concentrating on one estate formula. Creative is the signature line for fresh wines, where aromatic fruit and acidity take the lead. Black Label moves toward wood and concrete maturation, giving selected-vintage wines more weight and a different textural frame.
Among the named bottles, Chardonnay shows the clean-lined white-wine side: fruit and floral aromas, lively acidity, a juicy body and a slight mineral note after lees ageing. Sauvignon takes a more herbal direction, with elderflower and citrus above pronounced acidity and a chalk-like mineral touch. Red Habit, a Premium Line blend of Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir, brings pepper, fruit and minerality into a rounded red with soft tannins and fresh acidity. The sparkling wines add mousse and bottle-ageing potential to the range through their Charterhouse maturation.
In The Glass
Begin with the whites. Chardonnay opens on fruit and flowers, then feels juicy rather than broad across the palate; stainless steel keeps the fruit clear, while fine lees give the acidity a little more texture. Its slight mineral note trails into the finish rather than turning the wine hard.
Sauvignon is more overtly aromatic: elderflower, citrus and herbs arrive first, followed by pronounced acidity and a soft chalk-like mineral character. The long finish keeps the citrus and herbal notes present after the fruit has passed.
Red Habit changes the sequence. Pinot Noir fruit and a pepper accent come through the nose, then Blue Franconian and the 16 months in large wood and used barriques bring a rounded body, soft tannin and fresh acidity. It is a red built on fruit, grip and savoury pepper rather than heavy oak.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose the Zlati Grič Chardonnay first. It is fermented in stainless steel, aged for six months on fine lees, and gives a direct view of the producer’s aromatic, fresh-wine approach without oak taking over. Expect fruit and floral aromas, juicy acidity, a lightly textured palate and a slight mineral finish. It comes first because its grape, cellar method and glass profile are all clearly defined, making it an especially useful way into the white-wine side of the range.
Anecdote
Zlati Grič divides its wine production between a modern cellar and the nearby Žiče Charterhouse. The main cellar is 3,500 square metres and can store up to 1.3 million litres, but sparkling wine follows a different route after production: it matures in the Charterhouse’s vaulted cellar, which dates to the 12th century. Archive wines also age there. A bottle of Zlati Grič sparkling wine therefore moves from a contemporary winery operation into the stone-vaulted cellar of a Carthusian monastery complex, where the producer keeps it for maturation before release.
Final Word
Zlati Grič is worth seeking for its contrast of scale and detail: aromatic Podravina whites kept fresh in steel, a wood-aged Blue Franconian and Pinot Noir blend, and sparkling wines maturing beneath 12th-century vaults at Žiče Charterhouse.
Sources
- https://zlatigric.si/en
- https://www.winetourism.com/winery/zlati-gric/
- https://www.gov.si/en/topics/slovenian-wines/
- https://shop.zlatigric.si/en/shop/chardonnay-en/
- https://shop.zlatigric.si/en/shop/sauvignon/
- https://shop.zlatigric.si/en/shop/red-habit-en/