Vinol Association
The idea of forming an association was put forth at the end of the 1990s, when farmers from the local communities of Bertoki, Pobegi – Čežarji and Sveti Anton attended various courses on viticulture and winemaking, organized by the Agricultural Advisory Service from Koper.
The newly found enthusiasm for farming led them to the idea of an association, which would help them promote their hometowns and at the same time market their products. Following the example of the Loan and Consumer Society, which operated in the area at the end of the 19th century, they founded the Vinol Association at the turn of the millennium.
They coined the name Vinol from the words wine and olive oil – both are products that the members of the association pay the most attention to.
On February 6, 2000, they held the first Wine and Olive Oil Tasting, which has since become a traditional and popular event that further connects growers from the area between Bertoki and Sveti Anton to each other, their customers, and friends. At the founding members’ assembly, they elected Valter Kodarin from Kavaliči as president and decided to participate in as many events as possible.
Members regularly participate in the festivals; Malvazija, the noble taste of the Mediterranean, the Easter Festival of flowers, wine and olive oil in Ankaran, Poreč’s Vinistra, Koper’s Days of Agriculture, Izola’s Wine and Olive Oil Festival and From a winemaker to an olive grower. They have also attended fairs in Ljubljana and elsewhere in Slovenia several times.
At the time of its foundation, the association had 30 members, and in more than two decades this number has almost doubled.
They soon added wine and olive oil evaluation to their traditional Tasting, which was crucial for raising the quality of the members’ crops in the following years. Every year before the Tasting, evaluation committees with distinguished experts and certified tasters gather to jointly evaluate which products are the best and deserve a prize. The ‘Tasting of wine, oil and Istrian delicacies’ is always accompanied and enlivened by various musical performances by local groups.
There are also many local delicacies available, such as various distilled beverages, dairy products, meats, asparagus, pickled olives, truffles, dried persimmons and more. Everything is traditionally Istrian.
During the Association’s operation, the members occasionally organized an event called Bendima, where they awarded the heaviest grape and produced their Vinol must, but due to the obligations of the winegrowers during the harvest, this event has been abandoned.
In 2013, they published the Magistrala Vinol, in which they presented the history of the towns, the peculiarities of this geographical area and the related viticulture and olive growing, as well as each member of the association. This extremely beautiful publication has spread awareness about the association and its activities.
A year later, Damijan Jogan was elected president, who brought new ideas and enthusiasm to the association.
Between 2017 and 2019, Julija Jogan, also a member of Vinol, was chosen as the Wine Queen of Slovenian Istria, which brought an additional promotion of the region and wine makers working in the area.
Once a year, the Association also organizes a professional excursion to other wine-growing regions, where they get to know the growers, exchange experiences, and learn about other work customs and traditions.
The spirit of cooperation and mutual learning is always present in the association, as all members are aware that this is an effective approach to the joint development of their hometowns and to the promotion of their products. This spirit is the reason for more than twenty years of cooperation and joint growth.
We want to reach the Slovene and foreign lovers of Istria, our wines and olive oils more intimately with this presentation of the Association and its members.
We have also listed the providers of tastings and tourist accommodation, as these activities are the best promotion of our work.
Honorary members of
Vinol
Kocjančič Ido
Muženič Jože – Pino
Members of
Vinol
Baruca Adriano
Brajnik Janko in Igor
Boršič Miran
Cerkvenič Vlado
Črnac Rudi
Dobrinja Fabjo
Hreščak Igor
Ivančič Dušan
Jakomin Aleksi
Jakomin Darko
Jakomin Igor
Jogan Damijan
Jogan Domen
Jurada Melinda in Denis
Juriševič Marino
Kavalič Marjeta
Kavalič Tadej
Keranović Vado
Kocjančič Fabio
Kocjančič Matjaž
Kodarin Valter
Kralj Matej
Krmac Andrej
Lazar Matej
Marin Krešo
Markežič Dean
Metlika Aleksander
Mihelj Bojan
Miklavčič Walter
Muženič Goran
Nusdorfer Peter
Paladin Marjo
Pelicon Peter
Pincin Danijel
Pobega Damjan
Rakar Radovan
Ratoša Robert
Rodela Dario
Sedmak Daroslav
Sotlar Miran
Šergon Lučjano
Turk Slavko
Veljkovič Gracijela
Žele Adrijano
Baruca Adriano
Brajnik Janko in Igor
Boršič Miran
Cerkvenič Vlado
Črnac Rudi
Dobrinja Fabjo
Hreščak Igor
Ivančič Dušan
Jakomin Aleksi
Jakomin Darko
Jakomin Igor
Jogan Damijan
Jogan Domen
Jurada Melinda in Denis
Juriševič Marino
Kavalič Marjeta
Kavalič Tadej
Keranović Vado
Kocjančič Fabio
Kocjančič Matjaž
Kodarin Valter
Kralj Matej
Krmac Andrej
Lazar Matej
Marin Krešo
Markežič Dean
Metlika Aleksander
Mihelj Bojan
Miklavčič Walter
Muženič Goran
Nusdorfer Peter
Paladin Marjo
Pelicon Peter
Pincin Danijel
Pobega Damjan
Rakar Radovan
Ratoša Robert
Rodela Dario
Sedmak Daroslav
Sotlar Miran
Šergon Lučjano
Turk Slavko
Veljkovič Gacijela
Žele Adrijano