VERUS
Verus was founded by three friends and winegrowers: Rajko Žličar, Danilo Šnajder and Božidar Grabovac. We brought together our family vineyards, expertise and work, and opened a wine cellar on the premises of a former bakery in the spring of 2007. We are united by our dedication to family traditions, since our parents and grandparents were closely linked to these vineyards and their wines. Verus means true, real, actual, as well as honest, genuine, unpretentious, fair. We invariably strive to have this kind of attitude towards everyone and hope that our wines exhibit the same qualities. Using our expertise and meticulous work in the vineyard and wine cellar we produce wines that unquestionably express the characteristics of the variety and vintage, as well as of our winegrowing region.
VINEYARDS
Verus vineyards are located in eastern Slovenia, in the winegrowing region of Styria. They extend between the rivers Drava and Mura, and the towns of Ormož and Ljutomer, between 46° 24’ and 46° 31’ N and 16° 05’ and 16° 19’ E. The vines here are planted on steep slopes with up to 30 to 40% inclines. These slopes help to optimise the benefit from the sun’s rays which therefore fall perpendicularly onto the vineyards. To avoid the dangers of winter and spring frosts, the vineyards are above an altitude of 250 m. The vines are planted on east, south and west facing sites, some on the classic terraces contouring the hills, and some vertically, as the trellises plunge down them. The northern hillsides are predominantly covered with forest, while, below the vineyards, the valley floors have orchards, fields and meadows. In this diverse, dynamic and exceptionally picturesque landscape, we cultivate 25ha of vineyards in carefully selected sites known for generations by their traditional names: Jeruzalem, Kog, Litmerk, Stanovščak, Pavlovski vrh, Brebrovnik, Radomerščak, Gomila.
VITICULTURE
All the vineyards are cultivated in an environmentally friendly way in accordance with the guidelines for sustainable farming. We use a single Guyot pruning and training system to ensure adequate sunlight and air circulation throughout the canopy, balanced growth and a moderate yield of excellent quality. On the steepest, most dynamic terrains there are terraced vineyards with 2,000 vines/ha. On terrains with an incline of less than 30%, the vineyards are planted vertically with 4,000 vines/ha. The grapes are hand-picked. We select only the perfectly ripe and healthy grapes that are full of flavour. Undamaged, whole bunches are then chilled and transported to the cellar in small crates in an air-conditioned, temperature controlled vehicle. The harvest is 6–8t/ha, 1.5–2.5kg/vine; depending on the vintage, variety and age of the vineyard.
VERUS WINES
We want to produce full flavoured, well balanced wines with an intense and clear varietal expression, which are true representatives of our winegrowing region and vintage. Every day, we invest all our energy, expertise and work into reaching this goal. We believe that the quality of the wine depends exclusively on the quality of the grapes, which bring with them a wealth of substances into the wine cellar. It is then our job to strive to retain and capture as much as possible in the bottle using protective winemaking techniques. We chose varieties that have been well-established here for centuries, are at home in our region and which we are sure can best take advantage of the natural features of their environment.
