The other Jeruzalem

Everyone has heard of Jerusalem, but only a few know there is a village in Slovenia with the same name and it is considered the promised land of white wines. Jeruzalem is the center of the winemaking region called Jeruzalem-Ormož, which was exporting to the British market over 7 million bottle of Laški Rizling in 1978.

The area provides the ideal conditions for this sort of crops; the grapevines are placed on orderly arranged terraces at the meeting point of continental and Mediterranean influences, having an ideal exposure and away from the cold air coming from the Alps, on a well drained soil with a high mineral level. In this region, the wine making is a very old work activity. The Roman emperor named this province “Vinea nobilis districtus”. In the midst of vineyards, during the period when the grapes are ripe, they use the “klopotci”, a wooden windmill invented in the 16th century, that produces a sound meant to scare the birds away.

The most frequent varieties of this area are Laški Rizling, Renski Rizling (Rin Riesling), Sivi Pinot (Pinot Gris), Beli Pinot (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay and Šipon (Furmint).

In July, at Ljutomer, a local village, there is an unusual event: a wine festival organized together with a horror film festival. As a consequence, in July the streets of this village become jammed with all sorts of vampires and zombies who walk around carrying wine glasses. It is called the Grossman Wine and Fantasy Film Festival and it is 3 days long.