Gönc Winery
Gönc winery is a family tradition going back to 1936, when Peter Gönc’s great grandfather built their first wine cellar and planted the vineyard around it in the small town of Dobrovnik in Slovenia. After World War II, his grandfather moved to the city Ptuj where he started working in the Ptujska Klet, or Ptuj wine cellar, as a cellar cleaner and worked his way up to head winemaker and CEO of the oldest winery in Slovenia, now known as Pullus.
Fun fact: Gönc is actually a name for a barrel that they produce in Hungary, from whence the Gönc family hails, that’s 136 liters volume. The 136 dots on each bottle of their wines are in tribute to the family’s long history in the area’s wine community.
Wines from Gönc Winery
Gönc Winery “Pour Some Sugar on Me” Gamay
Blend: 100% Gamay – single vineyard
Aging: 15 months in French oak barrels
Gamay’s inimitable bright ruby hue teems with bright cherry, raspberries, and dark spices on the nose, as you might expect. The palate’s judicious concentration, roundness and spice, however, set this apart from more common examples of Gamay while allowing the grape to remain its harmonious, versatile, earthy and red-fruited self. The lingering finish introduces some slightly smoky notes as well as a little saline minerality. An amazing expression of Gamay!
Gönc Winery “War Pig” Orange (Yellow Muscat)
Blend: 100% Muscat – Single Vineyard
Aging: 15 months in neutral oak on fine lees
Single vineyard, hand-picked grapes early in the morning with the morning mist, destemmed grapes mixed with 25% whole clusters for skin contact ferment, punch downs are done with bare hands every 6 hours for 42 days. After 42 days we gently squeezed them and put them in used French oak for the next 15 months. The War Pigs were kept on fines lees the whole time until bottling.
Gönc Winery “Dirty Deeds” Pinot Noir
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Aging: 15 months in French oak barrels
A glass of beautiful dark crimson emits aromas of bright confit cherry, red berries, and soft dark spices. The palate’s lithe, vivacious texture is matched by equally ebullient red fruits, dried rose petal, savory exotic spices, and rainy forest floor. Fine-grained tannins shore up the wine’s deeper flavors while pitch-perfect acidity illuminates the more delicate flavors as it gently carries them into a lingering, notably lifted finish. Grilled pork steaks, mushroom-heavy dishes, and pan-fried trout will all show this wine in its very best light, but it’s quite a glass on its own too.
Gönc Winery 60’s
Blend: 100% Kerner – Single Vineyard
Aging: 6 months in stainless steel
60’s is a very aromatic and crisp yet full-bodied white wine. It offers aromas of white flowers, green apple, citrus, and sea air. The palate is round and creamy with aromas carried over from the nose and a distinctive saline minerality. A delightful low sulfite wine perfect for all your seafood and warm nights.
Gönc Winery Rosé Cuvée Anna, Štajerska
Blend: 50% Žametna črnina, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Grigio, 10% Blaufränkisch
Aging: 3 months on fine lees
Named after Peter’s grandmother, Cuvée Anna is ripe with aromas of wild berries, strawberries, melon, and peach. On the palate, very fruity with a lively, refreshing finish. A bright Provence style rosé with the inimitable cool mineral snap and high-toned aromatics of northeast Slovenia. Fun fact: Žametna črnina is the oldest living vine in the world (at 375-400 years old) and it’s traditionally planted in Slovenia.
Gönc Winery Pinot Grigio Harvest Moon, Štajerska
Blend: 100% Pinot Grigio
Aging: 15 months on fine lees
When you take Pinot Grigio and pour your soul into it, you get Harvest Moon, so named because each vintage the grapes are picked under this auspicious full moon. Why Pinot Grigio? If you make a long maceration and don’t use sulfites, and let nature take its course, you will get the color of the full moon!
Gönc Winery Starman, Štajerska
Blend: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Riesling
Aging: 15 months on fine lees
Single vineyard, grapes handpicked under the morning stars. Funky native yeast, maceration done with bare hands, pressed in the moonlight. With French oak, mixed on lees with sheer will for 15 moons, and a journey to bottle with no filtration.
Gönc Winery “Sabotage” Blaufränkisch
Blend: 100% Blaufränkisch
Aging: 70% French oak, 30% Hungarian oak
Peter never takes the path most followed when it comes to making wine, but his long-awaited Blaufränkisch exceeds even his usual standards. This indigenous Slovenian grape grows on the gravelly part of his vineyard, which presents very hard conditions for the vine. As a result, there is a small yield from the vineyard that results in intensely flavored juice from the berries. That wasn’t quite enough, though, so Peter froze the wine outside and siphoned off the partially thawed juice, giving the finished wine a nose and texture unlike any Blaufränkisch that’s ever existed. Spicy, slightly rugged tannins support ripe blueberries and sultry blackberries with a hint of middle eastern spices and a distinct blue floral prettiness. Ideal with pizza (especially Detroit and Chicago styles), braised beef dishes, mild Indian curries, butter poached salmon, and aged cheeses, but it’s quite a marvel tasted all on its own.
Gönc Winery Pét-Nat Rosé Canvas, Štajerska
Blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Aging: 5 months in the bottle
Pure red berries and sultry floral qualities are anything but shy, with subtle spice and fresh earth giving this a serious edge that allows it to pair with a wide variety of foods. The medium body and fine bubbles give it enough heft to pair with burgers or grilled chicken, while the buoyant fruit places it at home with fresh tomato dishes, tuna sashimi, and hot wings.
Gönc Winery Pét-Nat Canvas, Štajerska
Blend: 100% Pinot Blanc
Aging: 5 months in the bottle
Delicate acacia and lemon zest aromas expand into juicy Bartlett pear, racy citrus, and faintly tropical fruit on the exuberantly bubbly and light palate. A fine beam of acid and saline minerality keeps things nimble as nutty, yeasty flavors round out and deepen the long finish. Cloudy and wild, it’s a natural pairing with fried seafood, raw shellfish, soft cheeses, and light salads.