Slovenia: Bjana is an exciting sparkling wine project in Brda
Website: https://bjana.si/
Based in Brda, Slovenia, on the border with Italy, Bjana is a very exciting sparkling wine project. It’s been going a while, but it’s only recently that it’s taken a bold step forward: the tasting room and cellar were built in 2020, with work beginning just as Covid hit. But it was finished within a year and the results are spectacular.
Bjana was started by Miran and Petra Sirk, when they had no money at all, in 1990.
‘I was as poor as a church mouse,’ says Miran. He was working as a slot machine manager in a Casino Nova Gorica. For 19 years his salary was invested every month in this sparkling wine venture, building from 500 bottles in 1990 to 5000 the following year. 15 years ago production was 50 000 bottles; now it’s just over 100 000.
He quit his job in 2019. Petra went to university in Maribor then was a wine inspector for the government, and then worked in import and export. We had a look at the old cellar they have, which is from 1208, making it the oldest cellar in Maribor. It was bought by Mira’s grandfather in 2010, then taken away by Tito’s government. When Solvenia gained independence he got it back, although it was in terrible condition. The cellar was reconstructed in 1994, and in 2006 they had enough money to reconstruct the house.
They rent some vineyards which the growers maintain, under their instructions. They have 10 hectares in 12 plots, and having the vines spread out like this is a sort of hail insurance.
Harvesting is often in the first part of August, which can be a challenge because of the high temperature. They now just use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; they stopped using local grape Rebula because is a bit too phenolic. If you want acidity it is too thin; if you go for bigger body then the compromise is you lose the acidity.
Next year they will plant 2 hectares more of Pinot Noir, in a colder, shaded position. This is a mediterranean influenced climate, so the cooler parcels near forests are perfect for them. ‘I’m doing everything which my colleagues with still wines don’t want to do,’ says Miran.
‘My desire is to have a wine with energy,’ he says. The mistake many people make here is copy and pasting Champagne production, and the result is often too heavy. ‘Sparkling wines with a lack of energy and lack of freshness is not interesting for me.’ They like more vertical Champagnes, such as Blanc de Blancs with good acidity.
THE WINES
Bjana Brut NV Brda, Slovenia
12% alcohol. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 2022 base vintage, disgorged late 2024 with 4 g/l dosage after 20 months on lees. This is 50 000 bottles so it is half of production. Beautiful aromatics of fine citrus fruit with a hint of cherry. Pure, focused and quite mineral with lovely precision to the crisp citrus fruit. Layered and nicely complex with amazing precision. Lovely taut fruit here. This is really good. Very fine. 93/100
Bjana Brut Rosé NV Brda, Slovenia
12% alcohol. This is 2022, with 20 months on lees, disgorged October 2024. Mostly Pinot Noir. With the taille in the blend it ages faster, so 20 months on lees is perfect or the wines become too heavy. 6 g/l dosage. 25 000 bottles. Pale salmon pink in colour. Fresh, bright, tart and energetic with some redcurrant and wild strawberry fruit as well as keen citrus. Lovely energy and focus with a slight salinity that adds a nice savouriness. There’s bright acidity here, keeping everything tight. I love the purity. 92/100
Bjana Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2021 Brda, Slovenia
100% Chardonnay, 4 g/l dosage, disgorged January 2025, after 32 months on lees. The first edition of this, which is sealed in clear glass, got light strike so he had to stop selling this vintage. Now all the bottles are wrapped in UV-protective plastic. This is really fresh with good acidity, and bright lemony fruit with a hint of pear and peach richness, but then some tapering saline, lemony characters. Very subtle toasty richness lingering in the background, but the emphasis is on the bright fruit. There’s also a touch of grapefruit here. Fine and linear, with real precision and refinement. Don’t serve this too cold. 94/100
Bjana Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut 2021 Brda, Slovenia
12.5% alcohol. Pinot Noir. 4 g/l dosage. Such lovely varietal typicity. Lovely focused cherry and plum fruit with a twist of cranberry, and then some lovely lemon and mandarin detail. There’s depth here, but also freshness, and there’s just a bit of tannic structure alongside the acidity that makes this highly gastronomic. Lovely focus to this with brightness and energy. Some aniseed and cherry pit on the finish. 94/100
Bjana Brut Zero 2020 Brda, Slovenia
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, 50/50. A small amount of barrel ageing (less than 10%). No dosage. They look for wines that are a bit more mineral and which have higher acidity, so the minerality gives another dimension. This is also why there is some oak ageing. Taut, fresh and mineral with a stony edge to the fruit. Lively, focused lemons with a touch of green apple. Zesty and refreshing, with just a touch of green herbs and a bit of cherry. 93/100
Bjana Cuvée Prestige Extra Brut 2020 Brda, Slovenia
12.5% alcohol. 40% of the base wine fermented in tonneaux and barrique (although they are slowly reducing this, perhaps with a goal of getting to 20%). 50/50 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, four years on lees. Disgorged October 2024 with 4 g/l dosage. This is beautiful: the oak has added a touch of spice, honey and apricot to the bright cherry and citrus fruit. Some aniseed and dried herbs, showing complexity but also lovely freshness. Very stylish and refined with lovely depth, finishing long. This is really good. 94/100
