In eastern Slovenia, the countryside is made of picturesque green hills and sun-drenched farmland. The vineyards of this inland region look similar to the Austrian and Hungarian vineyards just a little bit to the north and east, and that is why Kobal has rows planted to Furmint, the national treasure of Hungary. There’s no mistaking this for Hungarian wine though, because Kobal is a proud advocate of skin-contact white wine, the signature style of Slovenia. In this case it’s only a couple days, but that’s enough to impart an extra layer of texture, and to draw out and accentuate Furmint’s supply of exotic spices. The nose shows a strong note of candied ginger, with pineapple, melon, apple, szechuan pepper, fleur de sel and basalt-tinted minerality. The palate is lean and focused, sizzling with acidity the way Furmint wines always do, and a talc-like dusting of tannin to frame a rush of apple, pear, and salty minerality that gives way to a crisp, delicious finishing impression of orange sherbet with a dash of pepper. A bright and invigorating wine with impressive nuance, put this together with rich polenta recipes, sausage, or the traditional Slovenian dumpling Idrijski Zlikrofi.