Slovenia's first producer of sparkling wine has been making it for over 160 years, although for legal reasons it can’t be called Champagne, and instead goes by the name penina. Sold under a distinctive stork trademark, Radgonske is widely available and is a drink we enjoy whatever the occasion, even just the opening of another bottle.

The vineyard uses two method to produce its penina. The charmat approach is applied with its silver-foiled bottles, in which secondary fermentation occurs before bottling. In contrast, the more traditional method of fermentation in the bottle is used with the gold-topped variety.

Located just across the river Mura by the Austrian border in the far northeast of Slovenia, Radgonske’s vast and varied cellars - which go beyond penina to include Traminec, Janževec (or Cuvée), and the slightly sparkling Tigrovo vino - are open for tastings, tours and even weddings, while a sightseeing train makes its way through the thousand-year old Radgona and Kapela districts.