Ferdinand Winery

Rebula before intervention

Rebula sets the first decision for Matjaž Četrtič, winemaker at Ferdinand Winery in Kojsko, before the cellar receives a harvest. He reads slope, air movement, micro-climate, yield and picking date as part of the same discipline, then lets the site decide which variety belongs where. His training at Agricultural School and the Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana gave that observation a technical base, but the work at Ferdinand stays close to the vineyard rather than to theory. The winery was founded in 1997, and its present identity is family-led, with Jasmina and Matjaž Četrtič named by the house as the people behind it. In Brda, near Kojsko, the estate places itself between Mediterranean warmth and Alpine cooling, with the Italian Friuli close enough to make the border feel geological as much as political. Matjaž describes the method plainly: “We try to understand every vine site and its micro-climate to see which one is best suited for a certain variety; choosing optimum locations and yields and best harvest time.” That is the station he holds here, a winemaker’s post built on selection before correction.

Three readings of one grape

The cellar program gives Rebula several forms rather than one fixed house answer. Classic Rebula sits with the stainless steel side of the work, where the aim is to preserve original aromas and the natural character of the variety. Época moves the same discipline into oak: the wines mature in 500- or 225-liter barrels for 12 to 24 months on the lees, using the winery’s own natural yeasts. Brutus takes a firmer line, drawn from selected old vineyards, prolonged maceration, no added yeasts, no purification or stabilization, and bottling without filtration. These are not cosmetic tiers. They are different pressures on the same material, from clarity to texture to grip. Malvasia, Pinot Grigio, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon broaden the cellar, while white, red, orange and sparkling wines give the estate more than one register. Still, Rebula remains the anchor, present across the house’s lines and carrying the argument about Brda most directly.

The cellar above Brda

The room at Ferdinand is shaped by the hill as much as by the glass. The cellar and tasting room sit near Kojsko, with vineyards close by and a balcony opening to the Brda landscape. It is a small winery atmosphere, conversational rather than theatrical, built around guided attention to the wines rather than spectacle. The setting matters because the method keeps returning to site: warm daytime sun, night air from the Alps, marl on steep slopes, and the choice to farm with a light hand where the estate can. Inside, the sequence from Classic to Época to Brutus lets the visitor feel the bench work without needing it translated into performance. Stainless steel, oak, lees, skins, and filtration choices all become part of the same quiet grammar.

A focused Brda signature

Ferdinand’s importance is not in breadth for its own sake, but in how tightly it keeps returning to one grape and one place. The Sinefinis sparkling project, made with Robert Prinčič, adds another Rebula inflection without loosening that center. For now, the clearest way to read Matjaž Četrtič’s work is still through the line that holds fresh, aged and macerated expressions together: Classic Rebula, Rebula Época and Rebula Brutus.