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Brda (Slovenia)
Encyclopedia
Brda is a municipality
in western Slovenia
. It is located in the Slovenian Littoral
region, extending from the Italian
border to the river Soča
. It is bound by Mount Sabotin (609 m) to the east and Korada (812 m) to the north.
The municipality comprises the Slovenian part of the Goriška Brda (known in Italian as Collio Goriziano) hills, which are one of the most important wine
producing microregion
s in Slovenia. It enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate
and it is protected from the strong Bora wind
, which frequently blows in other parts of the Slovenian Littoral.
Agriculture is an important part of the local economy: besides grapes, cherries
are the most important agricultural product in the municipality, followed by apricots, pears, figs
and plum
s. Together with the Vipava Valley
, Brda produces most of the Diospyros kaki in Slovenia. Smaller amounts of olive oil
are also produced.
The wine varieties grown in Brda include merlot
, cabernet sauvignon
, pinot noir
, pinot gris
, sauvignon vert
.
Brda is the native land of the poet Alojz Gradnik
, who was born in the village of Medana
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in western Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. It is located in the Slovenian Littoral
Slovenian Littoral
The Slovenian Littoral is a historical region of Slovenia. Its name recalls the historical Habsburg crown land of the Austrian Littoral, of which the Slovenian Littoral was a part....
region, extending from the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
border to the river Soča
Soca
The Soča or Isonzo is a 140 km long river that flows through western Slovenia and northeastern Italy. An Alpine river in character, its source lies in the Trenta Valley in the Julian Alps in Slovenia, at an elevation of around 1,100 metres...
. It is bound by Mount Sabotin (609 m) to the east and Korada (812 m) to the north.
The municipality comprises the Slovenian part of the Goriška Brda (known in Italian as Collio Goriziano) hills, which are one of the most important wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
producing microregion
Microregion
A microregion is a geographic region of a size between that of a community and that of a district.-See also:* macroregion* mesoregion* Microregion :Category:Microregions of the Czech Republic...
s in Slovenia. It enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
and it is protected from the strong Bora wind
Bora (wind)
Bora or Bura is a northern to north-eastern katabatic wind in the Adriatic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, and Turkey....
, which frequently blows in other parts of the Slovenian Littoral.
Agriculture is an important part of the local economy: besides grapes, cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
are the most important agricultural product in the municipality, followed by apricots, pears, figs
FIGS
FIGS is an acronym for French, Italian, German, Spanish. These are usually the first four languages chosen to localize products into when a company enters the European market....
and plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
s. Together with the Vipava Valley
Vipava Valley
The Vipava Valley is a valley located in the Slovenian Littoral, between the towns of Nova Gorica and Vipava.-Geography:It is a narrow valley, serving as the main passage between Friulian lowland and central Slovenia, and thus also an important corridor connecting Northern Italy to Central Europe...
, Brda produces most of the Diospyros kaki in Slovenia. Smaller amounts of olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
are also produced.
The wine varieties grown in Brda include merlot
Merlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
, cabernet sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...
, pinot noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, pinot gris
Pinot gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
, sauvignon vert
Sauvignon vert
Sauvignon vert is a white wine grape of the species Vitis vinifera. It is widely planted in Chile where it was historically mistaken for Sauvignon blanc...
.
Brda is the native land of the poet Alojz Gradnik
Alojz Gradnik
Alojz Gradnik was a Slovenian poet and translator.-Life:Gradnik was born in the village of Medana in the Goriška Brda region, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is today in the Goriška province of Slovenia. His father was a Slovene from Trieste who came from a poor working family...
, who was born in the village of Medana
Medana
Medana is a village in the Brda municipality in the Slovenian Littoral region of Slovenia.The Parish Church in the village is dedicated to The Assumption of Mary and belongs to the Diocese of Koper....
.