Bubbly History

Bubbly Premium Sparkling Wine has a well established history prior to being imported by a group of American friends dedicated to celebrating the 21st century bathed in deliciousness. Incidentally, they’ve invited the whole world to join them in that endeavor. If you have yet to receive your official invitation, consider yourself invited! It’s official.

Bubbly is estate produced at the award-winning Slovenian vineyards Radgonska gorice. History was made in 1852 when a bottle of golden sparkling wine, Bubbly, was popped for the first time in Slovenia. It took a great deal of courage and determination to create such a glorious fluid. The man who opened it was a risk taker. His name was Mr. Alojz Klenosek, and what follows is his story and the beginning of Bubbly.

Mr. Klenosek recognized that Slovenia provided the optimum combination of geological and meteorological conditions to manifest his dream. Several years prior to 1852, he took his wine making skills and set off for the French region of Champagne to expand his vinicultural knowledge. After three years of intense immersion in the sparkling wine making process, Alojz had enough experience to move forward with his vision. Mr. Klenosek then returned to his beloved Styria, a mountainous region stretching from the south of Vienna, the capitol of a glorious empire to begin his own sparkling wine empire.

Along the banks of the River Mura, Mr. Klenoseks identified an idyllic location. A place where the hot winds that rise from the Hungarian plains are embraced by the cool breezes traveling from the peaks of the Alps. In this magical place, he put his intuition to the test and successfully established a thriving Styrian Champagne house. On that day in 1852, he raised his glass to his lips and pronounced that he, Mr. Alojz Klenosek, had indeed made gold.

Mr. Klenosek developed a strong following for his wine and he was slowly expanding his sparkling wine business, when his risk taking side came back to haunt him.  Some say that being a risk taker made him a natural gambler. Others say that being a risk taker was the source of his success. Regardless, Alojz had done well with his daring adventures so far. However, after 30 years of hard work, Mr. Klenosek would take a risk that would dramatically changed his life yet again.

One night in 1882, Mr. Klenosek was playing cards with friends and a new acquaintance, Mr. Clotar Bouvier. One can only imagine how intense this evening might have been. When it was over, Mr Bouvier had vastly increased the net worth of his family estate to include a profitable vineyard. The alchemist behind Bubbly, Mr. Alojz Klenosek, lost his entire business and eventually faded into obscurity.

Clotar Bouvier, from the Swiss-French family, used his power and wealth as a banker to increase the size of Mr. Klenosek’s previous estate.  Many cellars were built that are still in use to this day.  The Bouviers converted some of the old ice cellars that stored winter river ice for the summer into wine cellars for ageing.  By the early 1900’s the winery had 1,028 hectares of land producing fruit as well as their famous champagne which was often at the Emperor’s table.  The estate winery continued on with great success, flourishing in the Sun of the Empire.

Presently, Radgonska gorice vineyard is owned by three local Slovenian investors and operated by share-holding employees.  More than 150 years after Mr. Klenosek popped that first bottle of Bubbly, the founders of Spirits of Serendipity Imports ‘discovered’ Bubbly while visiting Slovenia. With immense anticipation, the first container of Bubbly arrived stateside in December 2006, just in time for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration.

Now, we are able to offer you the most amazing glass of sparkling wine you’ve ever tasted. We offer the opportunity to join us in making the world a better place by igniting your passion, stretching the limits of your imagination and taking that risk that just might produce gold. Mr. Klenosek did it, so can you! We pass the torch of adventure to you.

Cheers – to incredible people creating an amazingly beautiful world! Thank you! We are grateful….and thirsty….who wants a glass of Bubbly….