Fedora stands for old vines and wines that express where they come from with clarity and honesty. The estate of Valter Kobal and his wife Mojca is located in the village of Dolanci above the Branica Valley, where the hills of the Vipava Valley meet the Karst.

The Kobal family’s roots here go back generations. The first vines were planted above Dolanci as early as 1880. Valter’s great-grandfather, known as pranono in the Primorska dialect, cultivated substantial vineyard holdings and produced up to 30,000 litres of Vipavec, most of which was transported by cart to Trieste and Ljubljana.

Until the Second World War, the family farm also ran a traditional Osmica, a seasonal tavern where its own wine was served.

In the post-war period, private wine sales came to an end, and the grapes had to be delivered to a local cooperative. From 1975 onwards, Valter’s father Kazimir cared for the estate, preserving some of its finest old vineyards and expanding the family’s holdings.

A new chapter began in 2014, when Valter and Mojca returned to the family estate, left the local cooperative and began producing their own wines once again. This marked the beginning of Fedora as an independent winery. Its very first release, the 2016 Pinela, received international recognition.

Today, Fedora farms around nine hectares, focusing primarily on indigenous varieties and other grapes with a long history in Primorska: Pinela, Zelen, Rebula, Refošk, Vitovska and Laški Rizling. These are complemented by international varieties such as Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

More than one hundred terraces face south and southeast at elevations between 200 and 350 metres. The soils are rich in Opoka, found within the region’s characteristic flysch of marl and sandstone. Clay and limestone are also present. Together with the constant winds between the Vipava Valley and the Karst, these soils shape the conditions in the vineyards. The vines are farmed organically and partly according to biodynamic principles.

Spontaneous fermentation, extended maceration across much of the range and ageing in a variety of vessels, including oak barrels, concrete eggs and amphorae, give the wines the time and space to develop their own character.

Fedora does not seek to shape its wines in a particular direction, but allows the grape variety, the vintage and the place to speak for themselves.

Each bottle brings together the old vines and landscape of the Vipava Valley with the craftsmanship of Valter and Mojca.