Radikon

The Oslavia icon that defined skin-contact whites — raw, structured, alive

snapshot

Region: Oslavia, Collio (Gorizia) — Friuli Venezia Giulia, right on the Slovenian border.
Style: Long maceration whites and deep, soulful reds — wines built like still wines, not “aromatic whites.”
Time: Often released only around 7 years after harvest.
Farming: Organic-in-practice, focused on balance and vineyard health (no cosmetic viticulture).
Cellar: Spontaneous fermentations, long skin contact, long ageing in large oak, no shortcuts.
Signature: Ribolla Gialla, Oslavje, Slatnik, Jakot, Sivi + unforgettable Merlot.

 

“The information from the vintage comes from the skins… We try to preserve that information and bring it into the wine.”

SAŠA RADIKON
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3 items
  • Radikon - Merlot 2003
    Sold out

    Radikon - Merlot 2003

    Radikon - Merlot 2003
    €89,00 EUR
  • Radikon - Oslavje 2013
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    Radikon - Oslavje 2013

    Radikon - Oslavje 2013
    €38,00 EUR
  • Radikon - Ribolla 2015
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    Radikon - Ribolla 2015

    Radikon - Ribolla 2015
    €38,00 EUR

HOW HE GOT HERE

Radikon is one of the estates that changed modern wine history — not through marketing, but by simply refusing to compromise.

In the 1980s and 90s, Stanko Radikon began pushing against the clean, aromatic, quick-release style that dominated white winemaking in Friuli. His answer was radical and logical: long skin contact, slow fermentation, and time in the cellar — allowing white grapes to behave like serious wine, not perfume.

By the mid-1990s, Radikon became one of the names that helped define what the world later called “orange wine,” but the project was never about a trend — it was always about truth, texture, and longevity.

Today, the estate is carried forward by Saša Radikon, continuing the same uncompromising spirit: vineyard-first, long macerations, long ageing, and wines that are released only when they’re truly ready.

Where The Wine Is Born

Oslavia is a tiny ridge of vineyards above Gorizia — a borderline landscape, culturally and geologically.
Here, hills of marl and sandstone (the famous ponca soils) give wines their signature mix of mineral tension, salinity, and structure, while the proximity of the Alps and Adriatic creates natural freshness even in full ripeness.

Radikon wines don’t aim for easy fruit. They aim for place, and Oslavia delivers it with zero softness.

OSLAVIA

How the wine feels

Infused, Not Flavoured

Maceration as extraction of identity, not “style.”

Structure First

White wines with tannin, grip, and long form.

Time as a Ingredient

Built slow, released late, drinking young is optional.
Radikon - Merlot 2003
Sold out

Radikon - Merlot 2003

Radikon - Merlot 2003
€89,00 EUR
FOR THE NERDS

Radikon works with long macerations as a form of infusion — white grapes remain on skins for extended periods, with careful daily work during fermentation.
Vinification is spontaneous, with no selected yeasts and minimal handling. Maceration can reach 3–4 months depending on the wine and vintage, followed by ageing in large oak casks for multiple years.

The wines are famously patient: after the long élevage, bottles continue ageing before release — often meaning the wines arrive around seven years after harvest, already carrying complexity and stability.

Another Radikon signature is format: many wines are bottled in 50cl and 1L, a deliberate choice that reinforces the “wine for the table” mentality rather than luxury cues.

“You must be natural in your mind first. There is no certification that can say your wine is natural, if you are not natural in your mind.”