Day-by-day estate-visit plans for Brda: weekend, first-timer and deep-cellar editions.

Day-by-day plans

Rebula weekend from Dobrovo ★ 4.7

First visit, car, two nights2 days

Two days built entirely around Rebula, starting at the cooperative cellar that has bottled a sparkling version since 1962 and finishing on the single-vineyard parcels above Medana.

  1. Day 1: Dobrovo and the cooperative

    Morning
    Start at Klet Brda on Zadružna cesta in Dobrovo. The self-guided tasting runs 24 samples over an hour for 20 euros a head, which is the fastest way to map the region's grapes before you commit a day to individual cellars.
    Afternoon
    Walk up to Dobrovo Castle, the Renaissance house built on the ruins of a 13th century one and the seat of Silverio de Baguer, the Catalan count who planted vines here without tree supports in 1881. Then cross to Medot on Trg 25. maja, a house built on Rebula alone.
    Evening
    Dinner at Kabaj in Šlovrenc, served Tuesday to Friday from 18:30 to 22:00, with whites that have spent between seven and sixty days on skins.

  2. Day 2: Ceglo and Medana

    Morning
    Movia at Ceglo 18, organic certified since 2004, fermented without added yeast and bottled unfiltered. The family has held the estate since 1820 and the vineyards run along the border strip.
    Afternoon
    Marjan Simčič at Ceglo 3b for the Opoka single-vineyard line, named after the marl the vines stand on, with the Medana Jama parcel planted between 37 and 73 years ago.
    Evening
    Ščurek at Plešivo 44 closes at 18:00, so finish there and eat down in Medana. The tasting room is hung as a picture gallery and the range runs from the Rebula-based Up to the Stara Brajda old-vineyard blends.

Skin contact and the border ★ 4.8

Returning visitor, amber and low-intervention wine3 days

Three days on the Brda houses that built their reputation on extended maceration, ending on the Italian side of the same range of hills.

  1. Day 1: Medana and Barbana

    Morning
    Klinec at Medana 20, on the same site since 1918. Six hectares at 180 metres worked without artificial fertiliser, pesticide or herbicide, spontaneous ferments of five to thirty days, then two to three years on lees in acacia, mulberry, wild cherry and oak.
    Afternoon
    Atelier Kramar at Barbana 12, twenty years organic, spontaneous ferments and the Kramars' own cured meat and cheese. Their paintings can be seen Friday from 16:00, Saturday from 12:00 and Sunday midday to 16:00.
    Evening
    Eat at Belica in Medana, a homestead whose name goes back to 1898, with a weekly menu built on what the farm and the neighbours have.

  2. Day 2: Slovrenc and Gonjace

    Morning
    Kabaj at Šlovrenc 4, whites between seven and sixty days on skins and then two to three years in 225 litre French oak. The Amfora blends Rebula, Malvazija and Sauvignonasse.
    Afternoon
    Ferdinand at Gonjače 1s, where the Época range carries the amber wines including Amber Gris. Climb the Gonjače viewing tower afterwards, 23 metres high, for the line of the whole region.
    Evening
    Stay at Kabaj, which keeps rooms on the estate, and book the dinner service when you book the tasting.

  3. Day 3: Across into Collio

    Morning
    Cross at Neblo or Plešivo into the Collio Goriziano DOC, the same hills under Italian law, where more than 85 percent of production is white.
    Afternoon
    Work back east towards Gorizia and Nova Gorica, the two halves of one town that held the European Capital of Culture title together in 2025.
    Evening
    Last night in Nova Gorica, the nearest place to Brda with a station and a late bar scene.

Cherries, olives and bubbles ★ 4.5

June visit, families, slower pace2 days

A June weekend that treats Brda as the fruit region it was before it was a wine region, timed to the cherry weekend and the open cellars that follow it.

  1. Day 1: Smartno and the cherry weekend

    Morning
    Šmartno, the walled village that holds the tourist information centre and the regional wine shop. The Cherry Festival takes the opening weekend of June, with a cherry market, tastings, an exhibition and a children's programme.
    Afternoon
    Olive oil tasting at the Olive oil bar at Šmartno 38, led by a member of the Brda sensory panel, covering the difference between extra virgin and virgin and ending with a house cake made with olive oil and orange.
    Evening
    Dinner at Marica House inside the Šmartno walls, where the menu changes weekly and the wine comes from the family's Belica cellar in Medana.

  2. Day 2: Biljana and Dobrovo

    Morning
    Bjana at Biljana 1a makes only traditional method sparkling. Guided cellar visits with a tasting run Saturdays at 11:00 and 15:00 across two cellars.
    Afternoon
    Čarga at Pristavo 2, a former Thurn-Taxis farm dating its winegrowing to 1767, where the Donna Regina sparkling has been made since 1994.
    Evening
    If the weekend is the second of June, the cellars open together for DOK Brda: 32 wineries in 2026, starting at Dobrovo Castle, weekend ticket 55 euros.

Itineraries in Brda, FAQ

When is the best time to visit Brda for wine?

Peak wine-travel season in Brda is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.

Do I need an appointment to taste at Brda estates?

classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.

What hours do Brda cellars and tasting rooms keep?

most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.

How does tipping work at Brda tastings?

tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.

What is the one wine to try in Brda?

Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Brda rewards trust.

← Back to Brda wine guide