History of the Wine Cellar Goriška Brda

The beginnings of the co-operative system in the Brda region date back to 1922 when the tenants from the villages FOJANA and BARBANA established the first co-operative with limited liability called the Agricultural Society of Tenants and Small Landowners.

How is it that tenancy survived only in the Brda region but not elsewhere in Slovenia?
In 1848 and 1849, the Austro-Hungarian Parliament adopted the decision on the abolition of feudalism, i.e. farmers could purchase the land from the land owners: this, however, did not apply to Galicia and other Italian regions. Due to the upheaval and war in Italy, the war territory spread to the Soča River (the Isonzo River) and Parliament had no authority over them; however, “father” Radetzky, the most important Austrian army leader in the first half of the 19th century, did. So here it is: it was the upheaval that had caused the tenancy system to survive for over a hundred years in Italy and in the Brda region.

In 1921 the idea that 38 tied farmers-tenants with their families who farmed the Count’s land, should merge in a co-operative and solve the tenancy issue by helping each other.

The then owner of the land, Countess Elvira de Baguer, daughter and heiress of Count Silverio de Baguer, agreed to the land acquisition of 230 ha in Fojana and Barbana by the tenants. This ha of land also comprised unproductive areas. However, the Countess attached certain conditions to the land acquisition: the estate had to be bought in its entirety and size, undivided into individual parcels, moreover, it could not be individually divided into parts: the estate was sold exclusively to the name and the address of the co-operative of the tenants which was being established. The price was 916,084 liras.

On 9 April 1922 a founding committee was convened in Fojana. Thirty-eight tenants attended it. They established the Agricultural Society of Tenants and Small Landowners, reg. Z.o.z., in Fojana which laid the first legal foundations for acquisition and revitalization of the Count’s land. It further established its rules and guidelines for the implementation and fulfilment of the contract. They undertook to repay the debt in ten years, to wit, in instalments of 100,000 liras.

In 1923 they adopted the wine cellar-related rules. Two co-operative wine cellars, the first, a larger one, in Fojana and the second, a branch wine cellar in Barbana, were the only economic locations where they were able to evaluate and look forward to the results of their joint work and efforts, to wit, the joint wine yield. It was at these two locations that the destiny of the co-operative was decided on, for better or for worse.

There were hard times ahead of them. The financial situation after WW I, the damage brought about by war, poor harvests and high interest rates for the loans they had taken out were the roots of the periods of crises. In 1933, compulsory administration was announced. The administrator, who represented the Instituto di credito fondiario di Verona, Italy, concluded a new contract with the indebted members of the co-operative: 50% of the entire yield in fruit and wine went to the compulsory administration.

1939 was a turning point, as an auction was being prepared due to the inability of the members of the co-operative to discharge debts as they came due. It was not until the last possible moment that the president of the co-operative managed to raise the almost unattainable amount of 150,000 liras and turned it over to the Instituto di credito fondiario di Verona. A written compromise on the postponement of the auction was achieved. On 7 May 1943 the debt was discharged in full and the former tenants became owners of the land they farmed, as yet, until that time, had but little pleasure from it.

After the annexation of Primorska to Yugoslavia on 15 September 1947, the first co-operatives were founded in compliance with the new system of government, following the “naproz” example, viz. the example of nabavno prodajne zadruge (co-operatives involved in purchasing and selling) which had already been established elsewhere in Slovenia prior to the annexation of Primorska. Their main task was to supply the population with various necessities.

Simultaneously with the foundation of these co-operatives, agricultural, to wit, farming co-operatives were being established. Farmers joined the latter with distrust, more often being forced rather than voluntarily.

Over the period from 1948 to 1950, 13 farming co-operatives, 1 co-operative agricultural plant and 1 farm estate were organised in the Brda region.

These co-operatives were exclusively involved in the production of food to supply the town’s population while their members were allotted “ohišnice” (in some socialist countries the land that members of a co-operative had at their disposal for their personal use). All family members worked in the co-operatives, including children. Presidents of the co-operatives were mainly farmers.

Owing to the dissatisfaction of the farmers and poor economic results in agriculture, after 1952 more attention was paid to private producers. Committees were established, entrusted with the task of accelerating private agricultural production.

The process of closing down farming co-operatives was initiated and by the end of 1955 most of them ceased to exist. Their land was apportioned to those interested in agricultural activities. A newly-established agricultural estate in Dobrovo was allotted a portion of their land, fixed assets and the necessary inventory.

After the cancellation of farming co-operatives, general agricultural co-operatives and agricultural estates took over as those responsible for further development.

By that time the need for an organised quality production of the grapes of the Brda region became evident. However, private and castle cellars were not adequate any longer.

In 1955, the Brda co-operative wine production made the decision and started building a new up-to-date 4,400,000-million-litre capacity cellar which took in the first crop as soon as 1957. In 1963, the state-owned estates and agricultural co-operatives merged into the Agricultural Co-operative Goriška Brda, the today Wine Cellar Goriška Brda with the head office in Dobrovo.

Together with the revitalization of the vineyards (from 60 to 100 ha per year), the capacity of the cellar has been growing from year to year. Today it boasts of a capacity of 18,000,000 litres..

All these years the Wine Cellar was the leading driving force in viniculture and viticulture in the Brda region.

With aggressive advertising the Wine Cellar saw to it that people became aware of the Brda region and its excellent wines which are successfully marketed al over the world.