Flein, Alcohol-Free Sauvignon Blanc, Vino Gross - Alcohol-Free Natural Juices
0.0% Alcohol – 0 Additive - 100% Taste
Flein Sauvignon Blanc is fresh, green, and precise. Notes of lemonbalm, gooseberry, green apple, and lime meet young pea pods and delicate herbal spice. The lively acidity dances across the tongue, accompanied by a hint of lemon zest and salty nuances. Elegant and fun. 350–400 m, steep vineyards, sparse, calcareous marl soil. 15 to 45-year-old vines, in Slovenia.
Flein range of Zero Alcohol Juices is organic and natural – free from artificial additives. Certified organic and verified by independent agencies. Only the sparkling version gets a touch of CO₂ for that extra fizz.
When Micheal’s sister was pregnant she said why isn’t it possible to make high class grape juices? So they tried to figure out how to make grape juice so you can use them like wines. They do this project with their farming neighbours, in several commuinities, in both Slovenia & Austria. They encouraged them to go organic by paying double or sometimes triple the price for grapes: €1.5 when they were getting 45cents. This allowed the growers to earn a sustainable living and protected the land from commercial development or being poisoned with herbicides/pesticides. This social co-operation has been a roaring success, for all parties.
The grapes for Flein grow in carefully tended “Fleingärten” – small vineyard parcels selected especially for this purpose – and are picked entirely by hand. To fully capture the aroma of the berries, we rely on uncompromising craftsmanship: gentle pressing – just like Champagne – and cold bottling with low-temperature pasteurization. That’s what makes Flein unique and special. Fresh. Elegant. With vibrant acidity. And utterly alcohol-free. Best enjoyed pure and chilled in a large wine glass.
Flein work exclusively with grape varieties native to our region, grown in carefully selected organic vineyards. With targeted yield reduction and precise decisions on parcel selection and harvest time. Vintage by vintage. The result? Freshness and acidity, naturally preserved. Every task on the vine is crafted by hand – from pruning to harvest. Each vine is tended to up to nine times a year. A lot of effort, especially in our steep vineyards, but it ensures the highest quality in every glass.
Champagne-style pressing, only the best 55% of the juice from each berry is extracted. This gentle process leaves behind bitter substances and unripe nuances. Just like Champagne – Flein is an innovative product that calls for innovative technology. Our gentle pasteurization method involves cold bottling, brief heating, and rapid cooling – preserving the full, pure aroma of the grapes.
And yes, Flein is 100% vegan.
VINO GROSS, Štajerska, Haloze - Slovenia - Organic, Natural
Vino Gross is a very much Terroir driven wine project from Slovenia! They state that the Štajerska Slovenija region produces white wines with Mediterranean and Alpine influences. Typical regional grape varieties, which we cultivate by hand, take root on our steep terraces, some of which are over 65% degrees angle. Vines which strongly feature the grape Furmint, grow on limy marl. The humus-rich topsoil is sparse, so the vines root deep into the limy marl in search of nutrients. This is noticeable in the wines, which are elegant, focused, salty and with a long finish.
Haloze, the more precise name of the region isn’t exactly the first place Slovenians think about when talking about high quality parcels. Vineyards in the northern part of Stajerska (the Slovenian part of Styria) and the region of Brda and Karst towards Italy, have long been considered more fashionable. The Haloze region, with its diversity of varieties such as Welschriesling, Furmint and Sauvignon, was long overlooked due to its history of large cooperative winemaking. Nevertheless, Michael and Maria Gross believed in the potential of these truly unique parcels and decided to dedicate all of their energy here from the late 2000s.
From 2014 they introduced organic viticulture to the vineyards, and since then have put a big emphasis on mostly old-vines of Furmint, as well as some extraordinary plots of Sauvignon and Traminer. Since the start, they credit Michael Wenzel as a key mentor for working Furmint organically, and share a great friendship and admiration with Michael to this day. The soils are almost identical to the Austrian parts of Styria, consisting mainly of the omni present Opok (compressed clay and limestone) soils.