NV Kobal - Blaufrankisch Ptuj Penina Brut Rose

Kobal Wines is a small, family-run winery in the Haloze district of Lower Styria, in the hills along the Drava River near the town of Ptuj in northeastern Slovenia. The Kobal family has been making wine since 1931, and the estate in its current form was established in 2015 by winemaker Bojan Kobal, who trained in food science at the University of Ljubljana and has worked as a winemaker since 2002. He has since become one of Slovenia's most decorated winemakers, with his wines earning well over a hundred medals at international competitions.

This wine is a Penina, the Slovenian term for a traditional-method sparkling wine, made entirely from Blaufränkisch grapes grown on the steep, marl-rich slopes of Haloze. The vines here average several decades in age, and the region is regarded as one of Central Europe's finer sites for this variety. To produce a rosé, the red-skinned Blaufränkisch grapes spend brief contact with their skins before the base wine undergoes secondary fermentation in bottle, building fine, persistent bubbles and a light pink hue.

In the glass this Penina shows a pale color reminiscent of dried roses, with a steady, energetic mousse. The nose brings toast and baking spice over cranberry and darker red fruit, while the palate stays dry, with a mineral, stony edge on the finish. Serve it well chilled as an aperitif, or alongside charcuterie, soft cheeses, or roasted poultry.