Jeruzalem Wine Road

The road runs along the tops of the Ljutomer and Ormož hills with vineyards falling away on both sides, and the hamlet of Jeruzalem at its high point is said to have been named by crusaders who stopped here and decided it would do. The district makes dry whites, chiefly Furmint, Šipon locally, along with Riesling and Sauvignon, and the slopes are steep enough that much is still picked by hand. Wooden klopotec rattles turn in the wind through the late summer.

What you actually see

• The ridge road - a lane along the tops with vineyards dropping away either side.
• Sipon - the local name for Furmint, the district's principal white grape.
• The klopotec - wooden wind rattles set in the vines from summer to harvest.
• The Jeruzalem hamlet - the church and cluster at the high point of the road.

When to go

May to October; the klopotec go up in late July and the harvest runs in September and October. Autumn colour on the vines is good. Winter roads on the ridge are icy and steep.

Honest expectations

Cellars are family businesses and most want a call ahead rather than walk-in visits. The ridge roads are narrow with few passing places. Public transport is effectively absent.

Nearby

Ormoz is east, and Ptuj is southwest.