Bohinj, Mohant and Goriška brda in one weekend
Car to train through the Bohinj tunnel, Mohanta plate above the lake and Rebula in the hills — two days that connect the mountain and the border with Italy.
The car enters the carriage in Bohinjska Bistrica, the door closes and for the next twenty minutes you watch the darknessBohinj tunnelof 6,327 meters as the train takes you through the heart of the Julian Alps. On the other side, near the Soča Bridge, you enter another Slovenia — warmer, Mediterranean, with vineyards instead of pastures. That's the whole trick this weekend: two air conditioners, two tables, one fuel.
You don't have to take the train — there is also asphalt via Nova Gorica — butauto trainit costs about 15 euros per car and shortens the story by an hour of serpentine. We went by train on Sunday, when the crowd is less.
Saturday: the lake, Savica and cheese that smells before you see it
Bohinj wakes up quietly. Unlike in Bled, there is no line for photography here — justLake Bohinjat 525 meters and mountains that fall straight into the water. We start the morning with a walk to the waterfallSavica(about 45 minutes uphill from the parking lot), and then we drive to the villageOld Fuzhina, where the Planšarski Museum tells how cheese was made for centuries on the high mountains above the valley.
The star of that valley isMohant— a soft, creamy cheese of protected origin, with a sharp and slightly wild smell that you either love or drive you out of the room. It's not for everyone, and that's the point. A more classic one goes with itBohinj cheese, a hard mountain type related to Tolminc. In the inn around Srednja Vasa, look for a board of local cheeses and grits — that's a real local lunch, not the tourist version. If the logic of cheese and drink is close to you, we have already elaborated it in the textabout five pairings of wine and cheese.
Sunday: Goriška brda, Rebula and the invisible border
After the tunnel, you go down the Soča valley toGoriška brda— a series of wine-growing hills right next to the Italian border, where Rebula is drunk on one side and Ribolla Gialla on the other, and it's the same grape. The climate is sub-Mediterranean, the soil isflash(sandstone and marl), and the wine style goes from fresh whites toamber (macerated) winesfor which this area is known just as much as the neighboring Kolio and Brda near Gorica.
You don't have to take the train — there is also asphalt via Nova Gorica — but auto train it costs about 15 euros per car and shortens the story by an hour of serpentine.
Keep the base inSmart, a medieval village with stone towers, or inMedani. You will find a wine shop with a cross-section of the entire region in the castle inDobrova— a good starting point if you don't know where to start. Anyone who likes maceration of white grapes should read whyamber wine behaves like red winebefore opening the first bottle of Rebula with extended skin contact.
Varieties to look for:Rebula(mineral, with a note of almonds),Pinot Gris,Malvasiaand, of black,Merlotwho see here better than you would expect. The visit requires an announcement — how to make the most of it, we wrote in the guidehow a visit to the cellar becomes knowledge.
The driver chooses: either he spits at the tasting, or he sleeps in the hills and drives in the morning. There is no third option that ends well.
Questions & answers
short and to the point- How do you get from Bohinj to Goriška brda by car?
- The fastest way is by car (car train) from Bohinjska Bistrica to Mosta na Soča through the Bohinj tunnel — about €15 per car and a 20-minute drive. From there to Brdo is about 50 km along the Soča valley.
- What is Mohant cheese?
- Mohant is a soft, creamy cheese of protected origin from the Bohinj Valley, recognizable by its sharp and slightly wild smell. It is served at room temperature, usually with homemade bread.
- What wines are drunk in Goriška brdi?
- The base is Rebula (same as the Italian Ribolla Gialla), along with Pinot Gris, Malvasia and Merlot. The region is also known for amber, i.e. macerated white wines.
