Radovan Šuman was born in Slovenian Styria, in the foothills of the Southern Alps, when it still belonged to Yugoslavia. His father, also a winemaker, fell ill when Radovan was a teenager, leaving him in de facto control of the family’s 300-year old winery and its four hectares of vines, composed of around a dozen, mostly Eastern European varieties. Totally isolated in his youth from parallel currents in Western Europe, Šuman didn’t think of what he was doing as natural wine, even though he never used additives in his winemaking and never has in the subsequent 30 years. For the most part, his cellar work relies on long maceration for both reds and whites, followed by long élevage in old oak, chestnut, and cherry foudres to gain stability and age-worthiness.

Radovan’s approach to viticulture is even more radical. Around a decade ago, he renounced the use of sulfur and copper sprays, a daring move even among seasoned organic farmers. Instead, Rado relies on a variety of herbal infusions and his beloved flock of sheep.

"Essence & Spirit is something different. It contains all the grape varieties Rado is growing (46 varietals in total). Each year he added grapes (essence) and homemade spirit. He lets everything mature for 10 years in different barrels, mostly cherry and oak. Every two years Radovan was cleaning the barrels from the sediments (grapes) and the final product is a fortified wine, if you want you can call it the Slovenian version of Sherry.

Amazing dry flavours of ripe fruits, sweet berry and fig aromas. Hints of roasted walnuts and some wood spice (peppery and gingery notes). 20.4% alcohol - Drink Slo Wines