Our complete wine guide for the:
JERUZALEM WINE REGION
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Where is Jeruzalem?
Where to start?
How to get to Jeruzalem?
What varieties is Jeruzalem famous for?
Jeruzalem Wine Tours
Jeruzalem Accommodation
Leading Estates
History
Climate
Soil
Wine Touring
Checklist
Festivals
WHERE IS JERUZALEM?
Almost on the border with Croatia, the hills of Ljutomer-Ormož rise lavishly above the Mura and Drava rivers.
Jeruzalem is contained in this area which is particularly famous for its amazing landscapes, which many people consider to be some of the most beautiful in the world.
Jeruzalem, with its holy name, has it all: an energetic vibe, wine roads with top wines and exquisite viewpoints. Some say it has every right to be named a "heavenly place".
During all seasons, the landscape on the Jeruzalem Wine Route shines with a special intensity of colors and shapes. The hospitality of the people along the way makes it even more colorful.
Tourist farms, bars, wine growers, artisans and locals invite you to visit the route throughout the year.
Like Goriška Brda, this area is scarely populated and feels like another world so come and lose yourself in the stunning countryside that makes up this corner of Slovenia.
WHERE TO START?
A car is really a necessity to travel in the region and the Tourist Information Centre/Wine Shop at Jeruzalem is a good place to start. What an inspirational location.
The hills are very impressive and you can stop and have lunch at the Hotel Dvorec Jeruzalem (with local vino of course)! Beautiful.
The views from the terrace are a good introduction to this wonderful area!.
The centre sells the best local wines and has tourist info/brochures and souvenirs for sale!
This will set you up nicely for the day as they can explain everything about the local labels and varieties they produce.
After you choose your accommodation, you can explore the region on foot, by car, bicycle or bus and whichever way you choose;
it is a unique experience than mixes nature, culture, traditions, gastronomy and of course, wine! Have a great holiday.
THE VINO
They take their wines very seriously here and a lot of families live off a combination of wine production and tourism.
Therefore it is no surprise that the area is famous for its high quality wines with long traditions.
Thanks to the great diversity and varieties of white wines produced in this area, you can truly say that Jeruzalem-Ljutomer-Ormož is a true symphony of whites!
Wine lovers, and especially white wines lovers, will discover a true Slovenian paradise here among incredible nature.
HOW TO GET TO THE JERUZALEM REGION?
Its not hard to get lost in this area. When you get off the main roads, all the narrow country roads look the same but getting lost can be a good thing. You can end up in places you never imagined!
Having said that, its an easy drive from Maribor or Ljubljana.
From Ljubljana, why not take the A1 towards Maribor and turn off for Ptuj (A4). Perhaps spend a night in charming Ptuj before heading onwards
to Ormož (route 2). Then take route 230 towards Ljutomer. In between is the Jeruzalem Krajinski Park. Look for the signs to Jeruzalem on the right (pass through Svetinje).
You can also enter from the eastern side as well along route 726. From Maribor you can also enter from Ljutomer (take E653) then south on route 230.
Of course if you don't have a car, please email us to arrange a transfer!
WHAT WINE VARIETIES IS JERUZALEM FAMOUS FOR?
THE BELI PINOT (white)
Numerous small producers bottle wine from their own vineyards, but the two large centers of viticulture are Ljutomer and Ormož.
As in Haloze to the west, white wines are the traditional product of this area, but some producers also achieve outstanding results with red wines, most notably the Modri Pinot.
All wines produced like the Riesling achieve excellent quality, but the Beli Pinot can be regarded as the champion of champions. Jeruzalem-Ormož is also famous for its Sipon, an acid-rich wine with a noble bouquet;
some ampelographers believe that the grapevine is autochthonous to this area.
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WHAT OTHER VARIETIES ARE PRODUCED?
Let your palate decide between Furmint, Italian Riesling or Riesling , Chardonnay , Sauvignon and Pinot blanc, a selection further
complemented with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, Traminec, Rumeni Muscat, Muscat ottonel, Müller- Thurgau, Kerner and Ranina.
The best known blends of the area are Jeruzalemcan and Ljutomercan. The former contains Sauvignon, Beli Pinot, Sivi Pinot, Renski Rizling and Laski Rizling - the wine is fresh and quite rich in acids.
Ljutomercan is a blend of Laski Rizling, Renski Rizling and Chardonnay, and other white varieties may be added depending on the vintage.
JERUZALEM WINE TOURS
JERUZALEM + SLOVENSKE KONJICE
A typical regional tour
See the gorgeous rolling vineyards at Slovenske Konjice and visit the famous winery here if available. Then onwards to the mesmerising wine country around Jeruzalem where we visit another local winery to sample their wares. This is a fantastic day out! (** Please note if Konjice is unavailable this will be substituted with stops in Maribor and Ptuj).
What is the cost?
Private tour - email for a quote. Can be booked for any day with our partner depending on availability.
8 people per van.
How do we book?
Simply email us your details:
tourname (Konjice+Jeruzalem), name, date, number of people, location, mobile number, any sightseeing preferences.
We will get back to you quickly with a quote!
WHERE TO STAY?
Views of the vineyards from the balconies are just breathtaking. Comfy and clean rooms and a delicious breakfast. Great staff. Definitely will come back again.
“Super charming location, amazing view. Enjoyed just sitting outside looking over the vineyards, watching visiting deers below, and gazing at the stars at night.
Everything was perfect, location, view from the balcony”
Tourist Farm Paradise Glavinic
“Beautiful cottages, modernly furnished, comfortable. The surroundings are wonderful. For activities, a swimming pool, basketball court, ping pong. The accommodation is new, well equipped, clean. We enjoyed the pool very much as well as the possibility to take grapes directly from the vineyard and eat it. Also, the wines are divine!” Book today!
"Central location right above the Ormož market where you can buy fresh groceries and pastry from local farmers.
Hostel has an elevator and large dining room with all the kitchen gear needed. Groceries store is 50m away. The place is clean, well equipped and new."
Book today!
LEADING ESTATES
HLEBEC
Three generations of Hlebec family have contributed to the experience of wine growing and the production of the delicious wines we can enjoy today.
In Kog, on the outskirts of the beautiful Ljutomer-Ormož hills, the heavy clay soil gives birth to delicious grapes.
The Hlebec family possesses over 35.000 noble vines of the chardonnay, sauvignon, rhein and lasko riesling, muskat otonel and traditional sipon sorts.
The sommelier duo of Milan Hlebec sr. and Milan Hlebec jr. invite you on a tasting journey through a world of delicious quality wines in their magnificent wine cellar.
There, wine is produced using modern technology and ripened in the oak or barrique barrels or archive bottles.
P & F WINERIES
"It goes without saying that we invest a great deal into the latest technologies, ensuring that our
winery conditions are perfect. Having said that, it is ultimately the expertise brought by our
people that gives our wine its distinct taste. From our vineyard staff, who still handpick every
single grape, to our winemaker, who meticulously calculates the ideal timing for harvest, it’s this
attention to detail that determines the unique character of our wines. Everyone here at p&f
wineries contributes to the taste, flavour and quality of each bottle. We all work together,
bound by our love of wine, and our passion for timeless winemaking traditions.
Our wine is known for its great taste. It has even reached
Buckingham Palace, where the Queen Mother was said
to be a fan. One of the oldest bottles in our archive, a
1963 Sauvignon Blanc, is still fresh and fruity. It suprises
everyone who tastes it.
p&f wineries devotes a total of 1,100 hectares to growing grapes,
650 of which it owns. The vineyards are at an altitude of 250-350
meters, scattered over a number of hills. Thanks to the favourable
climate, excellent soil and our unceasing passion, we are able to
produce truly distinctive wines, with an unmistakable fruity taste.
Ljutomer-Ormož has the potential to rank amongst the best wine regions in the world, especially
for its white wines. The carefully constructed terraces that wind from hill to hill allow the grapes to
thrive under the greatest possible amount of sunlight, while the cool nights refresh the fruit. The
wine develops a crispy taste thanks to mineral-rich soils that were formed when the sea covered
the land ten million years ago. We still regularly find shells in many of our vineyards!
These days, most wineries use machines in place of the traditional method of picking grapes. But
these machines cannot be used on the sloping hills and terraces that make up our landscape,
and so for us, the art of hand picking grapes lives on. This is a process we cherish; it is a part of
our regional heritage and is instrumental to the quality of our wines.
All in all, these are the perfect conditions for our white wines, making them fresh, fruity and
accessible to all. In particular, the local Furmint, a relatively rare grape, is the pride of our region. It
has an exceptional taste thanks to its apple and pear aroma, and mouth-watering, fresh acidity.
Equipped with the latest technologies, we process the grapes with almost no oxygen and
ferment them at a low temperature. The result is that our wines retain much of their
antioxidants, which play a key role in the quality and the typical taste of our wine.
In addition to our oxygen-free bottling line, where the bottles are filled under the best possible
conditions, we have also recently built a new fermentation hall for our premium grapes, fully
renovated with state-of-the-art wine presses.
Most of the production processes take place in our exceptional seven-story cylindrical cellar in
Ormož. The design of the cellar makes use of gravity to move and story seven million litres of
wine every year. You’d be hard pressed to find a more careful way of transporting it.
Seeing the region for the first time, you will slowly begin to realise why Jeruzalem-Ormož in terms of potential is one of the best wine regions in the world.
Especially early in the morning, with the sun only starting to wake up, is when you will discover the carefully arranged terraces swinging from one hill to the other.
This allows the grapes to benefit optimally from the sun until it once again disappears behind the hills, the fresh air of the night pushing away the heat.
These are the perfect conditions for white wine: cool climate at its best."
VINO KUPLJEN
"Our winery is located in the north-east of Slovenia, in Jeruzalemsko-Svetinjske gorice hills, which is an area that has been known for its quality wines and winegrowing land for centuries.
We run a traditional family winegrowing estate, the beginnings of which go back as far as 1836. As one of the first professional private Slovene winemakers, Jože Kupljen launched the
brand Vino Kupljen to bottle and label his wine as early as in 1976.
Our wines are very telling of the terroir they come from, namely the winegrowing hills of Jeruzalem. This is an area renowned for wines that boast a fruity and fresh character from
an early age and that are famous for their extraordinary maturing potential (whites 5–20 years, reds 5–25 years), whereby each vintage unveils their diverse multilayered flavours.
It all comes as a result of the eco-friendly cultivation of the winegrowing land, the vine and the grapes, as well as the winemaking processes in the cellar and our methods of tending the wine.
Perfectly in tune with the Vino Kupljen slogan: With Sun and Love!
Our vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly manner, the harvesting is professional, we treat grapes with great care and employ a unique vinification procedure without adding SO2:
these are all the special and priceless advantages of the Vino Kupljen winery, based on nature's gifts, tradition, experience and professional approach.
The result of all of these factors is a delicious wine rich in extracts, fresh and fruity, mostly dry or semi-dry with residual sugar (natural fructose),
enriched by the irreplaceable character of the wine cellar Kupljen. All our wines are typical of their individual vine varieties and thus especially tasteful and pleasant to enjoy with food (even for diabetics).
The wine's maturing potential depends on the variety and spans between 5 and 10 years."
Winegrowing Towns In Jeruzalem\Ormož
Ljutomer Region
The Hills of Jeruzalem
"Our winegrowing site was named after two main town centres, Ljutomer and Ormož. It spreads over 2000 ha of vineyards. The natural centre of these hills is Jeruzalem, hence the name the Hills of Jeruzalem.
Individual groups of hills have according to the Wine Legislation the official status of winegrowing sites.
The ridges of the hills planted with vines run mainly in the N-S direction. The SW, S, SE and W sites are planted with vines. At other sites forest dominates. For fear of winter or spring frost, the vineyards are spread mainly at over 250 m above sea level. Under this limit the landscape is characterized by orchards, meadows and fields. Jeruzalem, the highest peak, is at an altitude of 341 m. All our vineyards are at absolute winegrowing sites with an inclination of 30–50 %. The sunrays at such sites fall at a right angle, making them stronger and stimulating the grape ripening process.
Many of the steepest vineyards are on terraces that have given the landscape its typical character after the second major renewal in the 1960s. These terraces make the cultivation of vineyards easier and also offer better exposure to the sun in the eastern or western sites."
Jeruzalem
At 341 m above sea level Jeruzalem is the highest peak in the district with truly exquisite views. On clear days the view opens as far as to Lake Balaton in Hungary.
The landscape is especially characterized by poplars on the ridge of the hills, planted together with the terraced vineyards. The ground is light and sandy.
The winegrowing site of Jeruzalem provides excellent Šipon, Rhine Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Traminer and Italian Riesling.
Plešivica
It spreads over winegrowing surfaces west of Jeruzalem. The ground is lighter, sandy. The site is excellent for Šipon and Rhine Riesling.
Svetinje
It is a place with a typical scattered village and a church, located on a hill near Jeruzalem. It was first mentioned in 1486. Perhaps the best site in these hills is the S slope,
just below the church, offering the best Chardonnay for years on end. The site gave the famous wine White Burgundy, late vintage 1971, a variety now called Chardonnay.
Even today the wine is in excellent shape and is safely kept in the archive cellar of Ormož.
Malek
The area was named after the former noble vineyard cottage Malek, until 1898 owned by the nobility of Codroipo from Udine, and later on by the family Fischerau from Leoben.
Today the vineyard cottage is a tourist site. The vineyards are south of the cottage. The explicitly sandy ground gives very good Chardonnay as well as Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc.
Litmerk
The wine road will take you from Ormož to three rounded winegrowing hills in the area of Litmerk which the natives refer to as Prleški Triglav.
These excellent sites give Traminer, Muscatel, Italian Riesling, Sauvignon and Šipon. The area of the winegrowing site Litmerk also includes a place called Strezetina,
giving excellent Rhine Riesling and Chardonnay.
Brebrovnik
The area consists of the villages Mali Brebrovnik and Veliki Brebrovnik. The winegrowing district of Brebrovnik is on sandy clayey ground and has several excellent sites for Sauvignon,
Rhine Riesling, Šipon and Italian Riesling.
Vinski vrh
The name itself, meaning Wine Ridge, reveals the main activity of this area. Vineyards spread along the wine road from Ormož towards Jeruzalem. Every year Vinski vrh gives excellent Rhine Riesling and Sauvignon.
Kog
Kog is a winegrowing district spreading along two ridges. At the western part there is the village Mali Kog with the highest peak being Klumpa, where there is a water reservoir,
serving also as panoramic tower. The western part is called Veliki Kog. The area of Kog is spreading at the outer-most hillsides of the district, before the beginning of the Pannonian Plain.
With numerous winegrowing sites and slightly heavier clay soil, Kog is the home of Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Rhine Riesling. Most of the years the area also gives excellent late vintages.
Gomila
The area of Gomila was named after the largest winegrowing hill in the direct vicinity of the road towards Kog. Gomila means hilly place (also called Holm, Hum, Homula).
Medium heavy, partly sandy, partly clay soil gives excellent-quality Sauvignon. An interesting reminder of the past is the 18th century plague column in the middle of the hills in a place called Bajzek.
Hermanci
The site was named after Herman of Ptuj, until the 13th century the owner of three vineyards. Today it consists of a village with this name and the village Vuzmetinci.
Most vineyards grow in Hermanci. The site is best for Italian Riesling, Šipon and Chardonnay.
Temnar
The whole area was named after the largest baroque building, mansion Temnar, owned by the Order of the Cross from Velika Nedelja, who was offered this border fortification in mid-13th century as a present from Herman of Ptuj.
Today’s building is from the 18th century. Vineyards wind along the ridge road. Temnar boasts with excellent sites for Chardonnay, Italian Riesling and Traminer.
Strmec
The place has the right name, meaning steep place, as it has extreme steep slopes reaching even 70 percent inclination. In the extremely light, sandy, shallow ground the Italian Riesling is planted. At this site the famed Italian Riesling of 1958 was also grown. The wine was remade and additionally nursed in the cellar of the Vineyard Cottage Malek, and bottled in the Cellar Vinag in Maribor, still counting several bottles.
Cerovec
North of Ivanjkovci there is a place called Cerovec, home of the writer Stanko Vraz. Light, sandy, marly ground gives excellent Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Šipon and Rhine Riesling.
Kajžar
The area, including the villages Kajžar and Zasavci, rises above the local centre Miklavž pri Ormožu. The site of Kajžar gives Sauvignon, Rhine Riesling, Šipon, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
HISTORY
CLIMATE
SOIL
WINE TOURING
Please read this first!
Wine is serious business in Slovenia. The winemakers are passionate and genuine about their craft and love to convey this energy to all those who visit.
Wine tasting is a fun, socialable and often educational activity and well worth the cost. For those who want a memorable private tour (note the emphasis on memorable, these are not meant to be drinking sessions!), we at
sloveniaforyou only work with the most knowlegeble partners who can offer an above par Wine Experience.
We and our partners do not offer "pub crawl" type experiences as we feel this takes away from the true aspect of what Slovenian vinters work so hard to achieve. Our aim is to offer an opporunity for our guests to encounter
Slovenian wine culture at its finest.
Ok, I'm staying in Ljubljana or Bled and want a great day out in Jeruzalem, what do I do?
Take one of partners amazing private wine tours of course!
Scroll up to the tours section to see the tours on offer. A total wine experience or some wine tasting combined with local sights.
Either way its a great day out with an experienced tour partner who knows their stuff and are eager to show you this great region!
Email us to organise a private tour.
What if I'm staying in the Jeruzalem region and I don't want to drive or don't have a car?
Not a problem. If you are staying in Jeruzalem then we would assume you have a car but even if you don't or don't want to use it so you can wine taste, Jeruzalem is an excellent choice because the area is small and easily managed.
Again, email us for a quote where our partners will pick you up and take you on a day trip with wine tastings.
CHECKLIST
Make sure if you're visiting the Jeruzalem wine region you check these off your itinerary!
> Visit Church of the Sorrowful Mother of God and Tourist Info Centre
> Explore the Hills and drink wine at a tourist farm
> Stay at a tourist farm/winery in Jeruzalem
> Visit a winery or two and buy some local product
> Try local Varieties of Jeruzalemcan and Ljutomercan
> Learn about biodynamic and organic winemaking
> Lunch/Dinner Gostisce Brenholc or Hlebec Winery
> Visit the charming towns of Ormož and Ljutomer
Thanks for visiting Jeruzalem!
FESTIVALS
VIEW SLOVENIA'S OTHER WINE REGIONS
BIZELJSKO/DOLENJSKA - Famous for their repnice (underground wine cellars) and for the variety Cviček
GORISKA BRDA - Famous for their Rebula and Orange wines plus the local fruit.
ISTRA - Famous for their reds in particular Refošk and also try the olive oil!
JERUZALEM - Famous for its breathtaking hillside vines and fine whites!
KARST - Famous for the firey Teran and of course Pršut or Slovenian proscuitto.
MARIBOR - Famous for the Oldest Vine and beautiful local whites.
SLOVENSKE KONJICE - Beautiful vineyards and beautiful wines!
VIPAVA VALLEY - Famous for their Zelen and Pinela and beautiful countryside!
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