Don't worry, if you haven't yet heard of the uberstunning Gorica Hills "Brda" Wine region, but don't be surprised if you end up building a little trip here into your Green Slovenian masterplans, after reading this article!

Firstly, let's agree to call this new secret mini wine region Brda for ease, like the locals do.. but say BIRRRDA in English, (you need to roll your R a little, as if you live in Bristol and own a tractor.. apologies for the self indulgent British joke there)!

Birrrrda is one of Green Slovenia's 7 unique wine regions and right next door to the uberstunning Vipava Wine Valley, even more hidden and tucked away, but completely different in look, shape and wine!

Smartno was just made to explore..

The Vipava Wine Valley has, quite rightly, already been recognised by Lonely Planet as one of the Top 10 Secret Places to visit in Europe.. BRDA is another sure fire future entry to this list alongside the RED KARST aka TERAN WINE REGION, the BRKINI MINI REGION and the COASTAL HINTERLAND.. all amazing daytrip locations, just around the corner from the Lodge!

Ok, so let's work with what you might just about know already about Brda and work towards you visiting for a very pleasant surprise indeed!

You probably know Green Slovenia makes fantastic wine.. and either you knew already or you just found out above that we actually have 7 completely different wine regions.

Well, Brda is one of those 7 and it really is completely & totally DIFFERENT to each of the other seven!

photos and pictures show how this stunning hilltop village looked..

Brda is like a self sustaining island, cut off from the mainland, perched on top of a far south western corner of Green Slovenia, with sun drenched Mediterranean hills rising high above the town of Nova Goricia on the Soca river, covered in vineyards and locally famous for producing the first eagerly awaited Slovenian cherries of the season.

This mini region is called Goriska Brda, which means the "Gorica Hills", fortunately if you just say BIRRRRDA, despite there being an awful lot of hills in Green Slovenia, Slovenians will know which particular "hills" you are talking about, which is quite an accolade in itself!!

Some French guests told us Brda reminds them of particular wine regions in parts of France and the roads are so wiggly here that you go in and out of Italy without even knowing it!

a delicious Brda starter..

Brda is an idyllic scene of scattered rolling hills dotted with pretty little hill top medieval villages and picture perfect churches.. with a lot of fruit trees and vines! Put simply, Brda is one of the most beautiful mini regions in the whole of Green Slovenia and this is saying something.. 

But the only thing Brda really has in common with the rest of Slovenia's mini regions is that it is a small "municipality" with a tiny population of about 6,000 people across 72 square km, a lot bigger if it was flattened!

Green Slovenia is made up of hundreds of these little "island" municipalities, where you can find another different corner of your European dreams.. Each mini region is so culturally and geographically different to the others, but will remind you of somewhere lovely in Europe you have either been or imagined..

main tower entrance to Smartno.. invaders knock here to come in..

With the limited decent info available about what there really is to do and see here, it is not entirely your fault that you might have already decided to go for the well trodden Bled, Ljubljana, Postojna & Piran route to discover the most beautiful country in Europe.. you will still have a great holiday.. but you will totally miss out on all these spectacular secret places like Brda..!!

We spotted this and located our dream hotel in the very best location for our guests to be able to easily get to ALL the best secret Green places in Slovenia! Brda included.. Simple as that!

So guests can pop up to the far corner of Brda and sit on a Mediterranean restaurant wine terrace with a view over distant Italian vineyards inside 50 minutes.. and so do we!

It is so easy to reach Brda from the Lodge to explore for a whole day or maybe a half day visit combined with some other very different options like the Lower Soca valley, Vipava valley, the Teran Kras, (yet another stunning Slovenian wine region) or do a round trip through Italy via Cividale del Fruili or Trieste on the way home!

the stunning bridge over the Soca river at Kanal..

So How on earth do I get to Brda?..

It takes just 40 mins from the Lodge to whizz up the beautiful Vipava valley, by passing Nova Goricia to reach the bridge that takes you over the uberstunning Soca river and immediately into Brda!

It really does feel like being on an island when here, as the road after the bridge whisks you up the hill and around a corner to leave the rest of the world far behind. Whether you like it or not, inside the first few km, you will wierdly pass a road sign for "Slovenia", which means somehow and technically you have been in Italy.. just Italian airspace and a kooky peculiarity of central Europe!

But then the sleepy, sunny, wiggly roads welcome you into another world, filled with vineyards, fantastic restaurants and cherry blossom.

view from the Gonjace tower to the hill top village of Smartno..

So is Brda all about wine tasting?..

YES and NO! Brda is a sensational little unique Slovenian wine region, but you can also explore here without setting foot in a vineyard.. so Brda is ALL about the wine and NOTHING about the wine, it just depends on what you fancy getting up to today!

Let us explain more what we mean.. It would be a mistake to visit Brda just to go wine tasting and to tick off another wine region BUT CONVERSELY, it would be an equally big mistake to decide not visit Brda cos you have been to one or more of the other wine regions.. in short, Go Visit Brda!

Rebula Wine..

Like Slovenia's 6 other wine regions, Brda is completely different from the others.. Brda's unique mediterranean climate and rolling green hills are perfect for producing high quality local white Rebula wine which can be young and fresh or aged to perfection.

Of course you can get many other vintages here, but Rebula is considered to be one of the highest quality Slovenian wines.

Typical sleepy unmanned border to Italy just outside Medana..

Sauvignonasse (Tokaj) Wine..

Another unique white wine produced here in Brda has it's origins from when Slovenia was part of the Austro Hungarian empire.. The TOKAJ grape was brought from Hungary centuries ago with local Brda conditions producing a beautiful dry white wine instead of the sweet Hungarian version..

But they couldn't call this wine Tokaj as this would be confusing, so it is called Sauvignonasse. Over the years, this special grape and the local conditions have created another unique Slovenian wine that is very good indeed.

Some Brda vineyards even spill over into Italy, so half the production can be in each country!

Wine tasting is a very different pursuit and passion here in Slovenia, so we would warn you not to just rock up in Brda and expect to go wine tasting at the drop of a hat, much better to contact the excellent TIC (Tourist Info Centre) in Smartno, who very helpfully produce a list of locl winemakers who are open and awaiting your visit on each particular day of the week!

explore the cute side streets in the hilltop village of Smartno..

So How on Earth do I explore Brda?..

There are many ways to discover Brda..It would be easy and simple to stick to the main road that weaves between some lovely little villages for a magical day and we will soon recommend some highlights along the way for you below.

But if you really want to explore Brda, then take another look at the map and think about heading out on the even smaller roads towards the bridge the takes you out of Brda over the Soca river to Plave.

You could even go for it, taking the very wiggly hilly road that takes you out of Brda towards Kanal for a really epic adventure in the green wilds of Slovenia! We havent completely done this one yet, but it is on our list to do!

Leave lunch as flexible for the day.. Once you have crossed the Soca from Gorica into Brda, glancing briefly across the stunning river towards the longest stone arch bridge in the world at Solkan and gone up that first hill, with everyone questioning "how on earth we got into Italy for 10 seconds" when you see that Slovenia road sign.. you will immediately land in the middle of it all with pretty villages and vineyards all over the place.. so leave it a bit flexible for lunch as who knows where you might stop or end up today!

Finally, some Brda Highlights..

Kojsko..

Is the first larger village you will get to and this is where the the number of vineyards explodes in every direction and in turn where you might lose your own sense of direction as you will be truly surrounded by everything Brda!

a really great view of the whole of Brda from the top of this tower.. But make sure you glue your wig on..

the Tower, (Gonjace Stolp)..

Just after Kojsko is the little village of Gonjace, so keep your eyes right for a little side road that will take you up to the lookout tower (stolp) where there is a car park and sensational views across this mini region.

The tower doesn't look particularly high until you go up it, but we highly recommend you get over any fears you might have of heights as this is one of the most rewarding towers in Slovenia..

Other towers might be higher, with views not quite as good or as beautiful as this Gonjace tower, which absolutely defines the Brda region with bells and whistles on!

It is in the perfect place to capture a 360 degree view of the entire region from up here. All the green hills, the cherry orchards and the vineyards and especially across to your next stop, the pretty little hill top village of Smartno.

Remember Gonjace if you come back this way as you turn here to go direction Plave and the Lower Soca valley..

handy signs and pictures all around Smartno village..

Smartno (St Martins)..

There are stunning hill top medieval villages dotted around Croatian Istria, but we prefer the secret Slovenian ones with just one or two restaurants or souvenir shops for every dozen over the border and far fewer people around too!

Smartno is exactly one of these stunning Slovenian hill top villages protected by several beautiful round towers and a medieval wall and a huge tip for a stop off to have a relaxed stroll around and get into all those medieval nooks & crannies to see what you can find!

The village has been beautifully restored and renovated with just a few restaurants, an excellent TIC (Tourist Info Office) and a wonderful path that circles it all and we urge you strongly to make time for an explore around here. Everything has been finished off well here and there are helpful info signs and photos of old times posted on boards to help you explore the village too.

surprises around every corner in Smartno..

Dobrovo..

The next village of Dobrovo has a beautiful little renaissence castle with local museum that is a typical warm feature of castles in Slovenia and if you don't go in and have a look, then you will not find out what little treasures are inside!

Dobrovo sits at the heart of the Brda region and expect to find lots of activities ranging from here.. we spotted a sign for donkey trekking at the castle and guess what.. that is on our list too!

Dobrovo castle..

There are little villages with restaurants dotted all along the border around here and we have a particularlar favourite which is also a winery, called Belica, just a short drive from Dobrovo centre, but seriously, there are a lot of good restaurants around here on the Italian border, so good food, not just wine, is certainly a main reason for you to come to Brda.

Cramp Gorge (Krcnik)..

If you didn't want to do the entire longer drive through the back of Brda to the Soca river, then how about a shorter search for a stunning gorge that will allow you to dip your toes into the remote Brda jungle!

From Dobrovo go to Neblo and then a few km from here you can park up in a tiny little village to hike to the Cramp Gorge, (Krcnik). It is one of Slovenia's most secret and beautiful small gorges and worth the hassle of finding it.

cramp gorge is very different o other Slovenian gorges and it is a real Green treasure hunt to find it..

On this little search you can feel as if you have fallen off the edge of the world. It all feels so remote, but you are always surrounded by thick green forest and just like in so many other secret spots in Slovenia you will need to pinch yourself to remind yourself where you are in Europe.. in this case Brda feels very Italian.. but is in Green Slovenia!

On the search for the gorge you also criss cross established hiking trails and we want to empthasize how much hiking there is out here in the green wilderness AND you do not have to religiously follow hiking trails cos there is just so much hiking here!

There are even completely deserted little villages on some hilltops where the the locals just found it too remote to live in the older days, but us visitors just goggle in disbelief at how such isolated paradises can be left empty.

view over to Italy from the Belica restaurant car park..

Cherry Festival..

We already mentioned Brda's cherry heritage and as you might expect in Slovenia, this is a good excuse for a big party, so if you come in early spring, try to drop in to the Cherry festival, centred in Dobrovo, but all over this tiny mini region!

However the whole of Brda is absolutely covered in cherry blossom in the period before this festival, so another reason to make an early Spring tour!

We constantly tip the months of April, May, September and October as the very best times to hit Green Slovenia, if you can make it at this time and Brda is especially one of those mini regions, perfectly accessible form the Lodge in a daytrip that will be empty of people and full of blossoms or bulging vines, depending which end of the season you come here.