Founded in 1947, Winery Vinakoper is one of the most important wineries on the Adriatic coast in Slovenian Istria. It all began with an underground cellar beneath the coastal town of Koper, which also gave the winery its name. Later, a real winery was built under the guidance of Prof. Veselic from the University of Lubljana. An exciting side note in the history of Vinakoper is that in the 1950s, the winery had the largest wooden barrel in a cellar in Europe, which could hold over 41,000 litres of wine. Visitors to the winery can still marvel at this monumental barrel today. Bottling of the wines also began at this time. Thanks to flourishing exports, the winery also became increasingly well-known outside Slovenia, for example in Italy, Germany and Austria. The wines also won various awards and medals at wine competitions. Further milestones in the company's history followed, such as the production of a sweet Moscato or the first sparkling wine in the 1990s. At the same time, the company switched to sustainable cultivation and implemented the ageing of wines in modern barriques. At the beginning of the new century, Vinakoper came to the attention of the renowned Wine Spectator for the first time. The vineyards of Vinakoper are located in the hills of Istria up to 330 meters above sea level, the mild climate influenced by the Adriatic Sea offers the grapes the best conditions for ripening. Today, wines are produced from the indigenous Malvasia, vinified dry, from Moscato in two variations, one as a dry aperitif and also as a sweet dessert wine. There is also a wide range of red wines made from Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, as well as Refosco, a red wine variety that also plays an important role in neighbouring Friuli. In the 21st century, Vinakoper wines have also won numerous medals and competitions abroad, for example in London, Vienna and Hong Kong. For a few years now, the winery has also been home to a wine academy set up by the owners themselves.
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