In particular, the Bjana brand from Goriška Brda has successfully ranked among the global elite. In the last ten years, Bjana has become a symbol of Slovenian sparkling wine and is one of the most highly acclaimed wineries in sparkling wine evaluations.

The prestigious Decanter magazine placed the Bjana Cuvee Prestige sparkling wine among the top 20 sparkling wines in the world. Only seven countries can boast such good sparkling wine. While the achievement is certainly a cause for celebration, it also required years of hard work and it is hard to imagine how much knowledge is behind each produced bottle. The Sirk Family from the village of Biljana owns the oldest wine cellar in Goriška Brda, where 200,000 bottles of sparkling wine of various vintages are aged.

Traditional Champagne comes from a region where oceanic and continental climates meet. However, the grapes of Slovenian sparkling wine (penina) grow in a Mediterranean climate under the Alps, making the wine something special. This sparkling wine is drunk for pleasure, slowly and with a sense of appreciation. With sparkling wine, we toast to the future. The Bjana winery is determined to be the very best one day and, to this end, they are building a new cellar to improve the technological process. We, consumers, can also help – by showing pride. The French are so proud of their wine they taught the whole world that Champagne can only come from the Champagne region. Slovenians need to realise that penina can only be sparkling wine produced in Slovenia, as this label is slowly becoming a luxury.