Where wine still breathes.
Slow ArtisanalWines is not a concept, a marketing idea, or a product of passing trends. It is a place, a friendship, and a living relationship between people, nature and time.
In the rolling hills of Slovenia’s Štajerska region, where vineyards weave through forests and mineral-rich soils have supported generations of growers, we — Marko Grušovnik and Matija Žerjav (Matic) — craft natural orange wines. Made without shortcuts, without pretense. Wines that feel raw, real, and rooted.
We grew up here, among these vines. Our grandfathers were friends, and we became friends in their footsteps — raised with stories, tradition, and soil under our nails. Years later, we came back: Marko, with an engineering mind and a creative heart; Matija, a passionate winemaker devoted to low-intervention viticulture. Together, we formed the soul of Slow Artisanal Wines.
Our Philosophy: Slowness, Soil, Skin & Soul
In a world obsessed with speed, control, and uniformity, we choose slowness, observation, and authenticity.
We don’t “make” wine — we accompany it. Our wines are fermented spontaneously, with skin contact, and are neither filtered, fined, nor manipulated. No added yeast. No additives. No sulphites. Just grape, time, and trust.
We believe wine should reflect where it comes from and what it’s been through. Not engineered to taste the same every year — but shaped by the weather, the soil, and the quiet hands that guide it.
The Region: Štajerska, Slovenia
Štajerska, in northeastern Slovenia, is one of Europe’s oldest winegrowing areas — yet still one of its best-kept secrets. The cool climate, with wide day–night temperature swings, preserves freshness and acidity while allowing slow, expressive ripening.
The soils here are ancient and diverse: marl, limestone, clay, and iron-rich sediment. They lend our wines a distinct minerality, a sense of place that’s both grounded and alive. Traditional local varieties like Welschriesling (Laški Rizling), Furmint (Šipon), Riesling an dmany others thrive here, each bringing their own energy to the cellar.
This is not an industrial wine region. It’s a place where time still moves with the rhythm of the seasons — and we work in harmony with that rhythm.
The Wines: Alive, Textured, and Uncompromising
Our focus is on natural orange wines — white grapes fermented and aged on their skins for several weeks to extract texture, structure, and soul. The result is wine with grip, depth, and emotion. Sometimes wild, always honest.
We harvest by hand. We ferment with native yeasts. We age in neutral barrels and amphorae, and we bottle without filtering or stabilizing. Every vintage is different. Every wine is a new conversation.
These wines aren’t made for mass appeal — they’re made for those who want to taste truth. For those who don’t just drink wine, but listen to it.
In the end
SlowartisanalWines is not just about what’s in the glass — it’s about how it got there, and who you share it with.
We believe wine can be a bridge: between people, between generations, between human hands and the wildness of nature.
What we do is simple — but never easy. It takes patience, humility, and love.
And in the end, the wine is never finished. It’s alive.