White grape variety
Šipon
The Slovenian name for Furmint, made dry in Štajerska rather than sweet.
What is Šipon?
Šipon is Furmint grown in eastern Slovenia, where the tradition is dry, unoaked and taut rather than sweet.
The variety’s very high acidity carries through, and the best examples from Ljutomer-Ormož have the structure to age for several years.
The same variety as Hungary’s Furmint, grown across the border in eastern Slovenia.
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 4292 under the prime name FURMINT, with berry skin colour blanc and country of origin hungary, and the pedigree "ALBA IMPUTOTATO X HEUNISCH WEISS". Checked 2026-08-17.
- Furmint — Šipon is Furmint. Slovenia makes it dry and unoaked in Štajerska; Hungary is better known for the botrytised sweet wines of Tokaj. The variety is the same and the two traditions have almost nothing else in common.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Šipon, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | low | Consistent | |
| Acidity | high | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | medium | Some variation | |
| Body | medium | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | medium | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | medium | Some variation | |
| Oak influence | low | Consistent | |
| Savoury character | low-medium | Consistent | |
| Floral character | low | Consistent | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | low | Consistent | |
| Earthy character | low | Consistent | |
| Perceived freshness | high | Some variation | |
| Texture | medium | Consistent |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Where it grows
- Podravje — Slovenia
If you like Šipon, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Štajerska Šipon
Both are made from šipon, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more oaky.
Arinto
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury.
Brda Rebula
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more oaky, and more savoury.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Colombard
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Chosen because you asked for something lighter.
Jacquère
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be lighter, and more neutral and subtle.
Hondarrabi Zuri
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be lighter, and more sparkling.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
Hunter Valley Semillon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury, and lighter in alcohol.
Colombard
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be lighter.
Alpine white
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more oaky, and lighter.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Greco
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury, and stronger and warmer.
Assyrtiko
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury, and more oaky.
Greco di Tufo
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury, and more oaky.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
Fillet steak
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Salmon
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
Salmon in a cream sauce
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
Trout
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Turkey
Works because the finished dish, not the raw ingredient, sets the target.
Vegetarian dishes
Works because the dish is acidic, and a lower-acid wine would taste flat beside it.
How to serve it
Temperature
9–12°C
48–54°F · Fridge cold
From a 20°C room, roughly two to three hours in the fridge, or about 20 minutes in a bucket of ice and water.
Decanting
No need to decant
Nothing about this wine suggests it needs decanting. Light, aromatic and sparkling wines generally lose more than they gain.
Glass
Universal wine glass
A medium tulip-shaped glass handles almost everything well. If you own one set of glasses, this is the set to own — the difference between a good universal glass and a grape-specific one is far smaller than the difference between a good glass and a bad one.
Ageing
Most wines made from this grape are for drinking now, but certain styles reward keeping.
Šipon is Furmint, and its very high acidity gives the better Ljutomer-Ormož bottlings five years or more. Most Štajerska Šipon is drunk within two, in the dry unoaked style that distinguishes it from Tokaj.
Family tree
Established by DNA analysis. Ampelography alone could not have found these relationships.
Parents
The same VIVC accession as Furmint — 4292, pedigree Alba Imputotato × Heunisch Weiss — because it is the same variety. Heunisch Weiss is Gouais Blanc. Recorded here as well as on the Furmint page so that a reader arriving at Šipon is not told less about the grape than a reader arriving at its other name.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof