Why is our wine special? Our grapes ripen on high quality soil on the green hills of Goriška Brda in a small private winery with heritage and tradition where warm Mediterranean air and cold Alpine wind mix. They both caress and lash the grapes alongside an authentic techniques and recipe which is how it acquires its distinctive flavour. Ribolla Gialla is a grape variety that was already popular during the Roman Empire, grown in the Colli Orientali region between Italy and Slovenia. Italian poet Boccaccio famously listed the indulgence of Ribolla wine as one of the reasons God invented the sins of gluttony. It is also the dominant grape variety in our Cuvée Prestige.

The grapes are harvested by hand, and only the best are selected for our wine, which is submerged in the clean, blue Adriatic Sea. 12 – 24 months later, the Luxury sparkling wine Mare Santo® is born.

Why the Sea? Where did this idea come from? It was conceived by a respected Slovene winemaker, Igor Tomažič a passionate man devoted to perfection who drew from the old Slovene customs. In the past, the wines in the vineyards were always cooled in streams, as there were no refrigerators. It frequently occurred that a bottle was forgotten there until the spring or next season. During that time, the forgotten wine changed and the locals greatly appreciated the exquisite taste it developed. Tomažič took a step further. He began to submerge the bottles into the nearby Adriatic Sea; and the rest is history.