Estate
At 360 meters high on Kozjak above Pesnica, the Doppler wine estate offers such a wide view. On the Styrian Wine Road, only the vineyards on the Austrian side have such a panoramic privilege. But there are only wine cellars there, while here is a top-notch restaurant!
Chef
We met Jurij, who has seven siblings (at Hiša Krasna), when he was only 21 years old. He is not yet 29 now… Even then, we realized that he had “two things he couldn’t lose: the talent with which he makes risotto with chicory a signature dish, and the passion with which he fills tortellini and pours them with chicken soup.” In between, there were twelve Michelin stars in those seven years!
First, Hiša Denk*, chef Grega Vračko (2 years), then he worked for five years in top restaurants with world-class chefs: Amador, Vienna***, chef Juan Amador, 2 years; Fred**, Rotterdam, Netherlands, chef Fred Mustert, 1 year; Restaurante Ocean**, Vila Vita Parc, Algarve, Portugal, chef Hans Neuner, 1 year; Schloss Schauenstein by Andreas Caminada***, Fürstenau, Switzerland, chef Andreas Caminada, stage; Seta Su Ilma, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, chef Fabio Trabocchi*, 1 year. Impressive!
Host
If Lana Kopša hadn’t gone into Hiša Denk kitchen so young, she wouldn’t have met Jurij Daolio and wouldn’t be such a great host now… After years of learning, training, and hard work in the world’s best restaurants, they returned full of the best combination of knowledge, love, and energy.
Dining room
The glass dining room looks out over everything, including the kitchen. The tables are round and comfortable, and everything on them is neatly arranged. Fine dining, but in a vineyard!
Terrace
The large covered terrace invites you to lounge in the middle of the vineyard, the tables are comfortable for picnics, and the place settings are suitable for tasting menu.
Apéro
The homemade sourdough bread is from a large dark loaf that Jurij learned to bake during a year of two-star cooking in Portugal. The butter is infused with herbs (tarragon, parsley, and chives), which come from Lana’s grandmother garden.
Three types of pastry baskets, the more rustic crostadas, filled with grilled zucchini, raw trout, topped with fennel salad and garnished with pickled jalapeno peppers; the more delicate tartelettes, filled with pickled chanterelles and mustard seeds; and the most delicately crispy potato pastry filled with peas.
Amuse-bouche
In the middle of a two-toned zucchini roll, hidden under a white tomato foam in a basil cream, are cherry tomatoes soaked in verbena and lemongrass. The zucchini floats in a tomato jelly foamed with basil oil.
Summer salad
Summer salad leaves, underneath them yogurt with herbs (parsley, tarragon, whatever you can find in the garden) and walnut praliné (cream of caramelized walnuts), in cucumber and celery juice, with poached quail egg, zucchini, borage flower, marigold flower petals.
Almonds and grapes
Scampi carpaccio, almonds, cucumber, fresh mint, basil oil, grapes, avocado, ajo blanco added at the table, cold almond soup-sauce, white gazpacho (a little garlic, peeled almonds soaked in almond milk and only the core of the pinza added to maintain the whiteness).
Foie gras
Foie gras terrine, apricot jam with chili, caramelized hazelnuts, finished with apricot juice at the table. Buttery brioche on a plate.
Cappelletti
Capelleti stuffed with Jamar cheese (Zidarič), porcini mushrooms and chanterelles, celeriac cubes, topped with summer black truffle.
Parisian gnocchi
Trout fillet (rainbow), horseradish sauce with buttermilk and dill, fresh horseradish, marinated belgian endive on top, sautéed spinach on the bottom, parisian gnocchi.
Capon
Crispy roasted capon breasts (Slovenian capon from the Novo Mesto area), savoy cabbage roll (ballotine) with capon drumstick filling, capon wing and heart croquette, leek, Riesling sauce made from poultry stock, and špecli with chanterelles and porcini mushrooms in a cup.
Sorbet and sparkling wine
Lemon and yuzu juice sorbet, candied lemon peel, finished with sparkling wine at the table. Effective refreshment/cooling/relaxation before the sweet continuation. Since the sparkling wine is homemade, it is right that it makes an appearance.
Vineyard peach
Baked white chocolate mousse infused with citrus notes, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, peach sorbet, caramelized hazelnuts, peach compote, honey. Peaches soaked in house-made Muscat ottonel in a cup, topped with lemongrass foam.
Apricot dumpling
Apricot dumpling, vanilla ice cream (Madagascar vanilla), buttery crumbs. We don’t want to give up good, old potato dumplings, especially apricot ones!
Petits fours
Sorbet made from Doppler’s Muscat Otonell, with grapes from the vineyard (in a glass), coffee ganache and walnut praline with Doppler’s brandy (which will be bottled for the first time in the fall of 2025 after enough years of barrel aging), and freshly baked almond flour madeleines.
Accompanying wines
Aperitif: homemade vermouth with ice; although sparkling wines are also native, vermouth is summery and popular on the (Austrian) wine route; summer salad and ajo blanco: Rose, 2024, Doppler; foie gras: Muscat Ottonel 2009, Doppler, dry strawberry selection; intermediate refreshment: Diona sparkling wine, 2017, Doppler, brut nature, chardonnay; capelletti: Šipon, 2022, Doppler, spontaneous fermentation, maturation in a 500 l barrel; Parisian gnocchi: Sauvignon 360 °, 2021, Doppler; capon: Riesling, 2021, Doppler, first organic wine, spontaneous fermentation, maturation in a 2,000 l French oak barrel, then 1 year in the bottle; dessert: Muscat Ottonel, 2023, semi-sweet; petits fours: Vinjak, 2014, Laški Riesling and Šipon.
