Skerlj Vitovska

Carso, or the Karst region, is a limestone plateau that reaches from northeastern Italy into southwestern Slovenia. In this breathtaking yet rustic corner of Italy, vines share space with wild forest and family farms. In the 1960s, winemaker Matej Skerlj’s grandfather opened an “osmizza” in their home village of Sales. In addition to offering homemade wine, he sold eggs laid by the family’s hens and homemade salumi. Inspired by the potential of their vineyards and eager to farm organically, Matej and his sister Kristina in 2004 started making their own wines from native grapes Terrano, Malvasia and Vitovska. Theirs are wines that don’t just express terroir but scream it—the combination of limestone soils, influence of the sea and intense flavors of Carso’s native grapes is nothing less than awe-inspiring.