Our vines serve as the basis of all our wines. The location they are planted on is affected by the local climate, type of soil, situation, direction of the wind, etc. By diligently observing all of the possible combinations of the above and by knowing the entire estate intimately and to the very last detail, I have managed to select the appropriate situation for various varieties that allows for the production of exceptional wines which reflect both myself and my territory.
Robi Bučinel
The Dobuje Wine Estate encompasses about 10 hectares or 25 acres of vineyards in total: 8 hectares (20 acres) are located in the immediate vicinity of our farmstead and the remaining 2 hectares (5 acres) in the village of Hruševlje 3 kilometres away. Our vineyards face South-East and are thus sun-drenched throughout most of the day. Our vines grow at an altitude between 100 and 170 metres on marl (‘opoka’) terraces; ‘opoka’ refers locally to our soil composed of clay, marl and sandstone alternating layers. This type of soil is distinguished by an extremely high content of minerals which are transferred into grapes and, subsequently, into the wine, rendering it one of its greatest strengths. Vines growing in a soil as specified above are characterised by extremely long roots which find and draw nutrition from the very depths of the earth, allowing for the production of high-quality grapes even during droughts. Our valley is extremely opened and thus exposed to the wind which slows down in the evenings for a short period of time. In line with the situation of the vineyards, sunlight and wind conditions, the morning dew dries immediately and levels of humidity remain at a minimum throughout the day. The vines are provided with small quantities of fertilisers or only depleted nutrients are compensated, which leads to subdued growth and, in line with such conditions, small quantities of drift are applied. Nowadays, our vines are subject to a single Guyot cane-pruning system. State-of-the-art machinery undoubtedly facilitates our work. However, substantial manual work is required, including the grape harvest. The yield is small, between 1 and 1.3 kilograms (approximately between 2 and 3 pounds) per vine or between 6000 and 7000 kilograms (between 13230 and 15430 pounds) per hectare, meaning that one bottle of wine is obtained from one vine.
