September 2021
Wine stories of Radgonske gorice
That sunny Saturday proved to be a perfect date to visit Gornja Radgona and its surroundings!
We arrived at Dom Penine at 10 am. Our host – Radgonske gorice – invited us to test their brand-new e-bikes on a picturesque biking trail. After some introductory words, information about the trail and a short formality necessary for renting the e-bikes, we hopped on the wheels and followed the “Sun-kissed trail”. The route takes you on a 25 km panoramic journey through neighbouring villages and local attractions. All points of interest are clearly marked on the provided leaflet as well as on the website (more on www.winebiking.com).
From Dom penine, the trail quickly turns from the main road towards vineyards. Radgonske gorice cultivate more than 500 ha of vine, which we expected to see a lot of on the way. Climbing the steep slopes of wine-growing hills was not a problem at all thanks to the turbo-speed function of the e-bikes. We were very excited at the opportunity to ride through the vineyards on paths that can usually be reached only on foot or with a tractor.
Apart from vast stretches of vineyards, we were eager to admire all the greenery along the way. Charming patches of forest and well-kept lawns were plentiful. We knew beforehand that this region is known for farming, yet we did not expect to see so many fields of corn and pumpkins and fruit orchards. Riding through the farming villages, we felt energised by all the nature around us and made a couple of stops and short detours to viewing points to observe the landscape even better.
To add to the amazing nature, we were excited to see other attractions marked on the trail. We visited the Negova castle and then rode to the lake, which was a few kilometers away. We passed a few villas on the way, some of them marked on the route as landmarks. The highlight awaited us towards the end of the trail – a lunch at Mencinger Inn 😊 As we were already a bit tired and hungry after 3 hours of cycling, we practically devoured the locally-made specialties. The waitress was extremely friendly and did not let us leave before we tried the local best: tunka meat, pumpkin gnocchi, fried lamb meat with bread dumplings and cabbage. When we couldn’t decide on the dessert, we were served a sampling tray of all the sweet treats they had to offer! Luckily for us, we had to cycle only for 3 km after the lunch – the turbo-speed came very handy at this point.
After the great cycling tour, we continued exploring Gornja Radgona with a visit to Špital museum. The guide was very knowledgeable and charismatic and soon we learned a lot about the town’s history, including the story of its centerpiece – the bridge connecting the Slovenian and Austrian part.
One cannot leave Gornja Radgona without a visit to Radgonske gorice! Last but not least, our host invited us on a tour of Dom penine and Radgonske gorice cellars. Not only did we listen to a fascinating history of the company and its sparkling wine production, but we had a chance to taste their product on the spot! Sipping sparkling wine under a small waterfall that runs in the middle of the cellar was quite an experience. After the sightseeing, we headed towards their product store, where we supplied ourselves with their great sparkling wines and other beverages, including the just-launched alcohol-free špricer.
The whole day was very exciting and pleasurable, with two highlights that made us decide to come back and repeat the experience in the future. The first was the opportunity to ride up and down the vineyards – no better way than to do it with e-bikes. The second were the people we met that day – extremely friendly, good-humored and capable. We enjoyed their company so much that we finished the day back at Negova castle on a cultural evening they attended, where we had a chance to try some more local sparkling wines and chat with our great hosts in a relaxed environment. We are very grateful for the experience and would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys nature, beautiful landscapes and wine.
Kasia and Uroš
Photos by: Kasia & Uroš
