Keltis is a name built from two words: Kelhar, the family name, and vitis — Latin for grapevine. The Kelhar family has been farming the hills above Bizeljsko since 1776. The farm started as most farms in this part of Slovenia did — cows, fruit trees, vegetables, and wine sold in bulk. That changed in 1989, when Marijan Kelhar bottled his first wines and started taking them to fairs. The Keltis brand was born.
Five hectares of vines and a forest large enough to supply wood for their own barrels. The soils are marl, sandstone with quartz binder, clay, and limestone: a geology that expresses differently in every style they make, but always with that mineral backbone. They work with ten grape varieties, including Rumeni Plavec, an indigenous grape used mainly for sparkling wines because of its naturally high acidity even in hot years. It's vigorous, old, and doesn't behave like anything planted further west.
The farm has been certified organic since 2009 and biodynamic since 2019, with Demeter certification since 2022. Macerations can run up to eight months. Wines are bottled when ready, not when the calendar says so — which means every vintage arrives on its own terms.
