Kdo / Who
Nika Glavina je doma v naravi. Čeprav je odraščala v Ljubljani, se najbolj domače in prijetno počuti tam, kjer je lahko v pristni interakciji z naravnim okoljem. Nobeno presenečenje ni, da je že od nekdaj z velikim veseljem zahajala na posestvo Santomas k dedku Ludviku v Šmarje. Prav dedek – oziroma nono v lokalnem jeziku – je tisti, ki jo je navdušil nad vinarstvom in vsem, kar je povezano z njim.
Nika na vinarstvo kljub svoji mladosti – ali pa morda prav zaradi nje – gleda celostno. Zaveda se, da je pomemben vsak detajl, da vsaka podrobnost v procesu pomeni razliko v končni zgodbi posameznega vina. Znanje s tega področja črpa zlasti pri »noniču«, kot mu sama pravi, pridobiva pa ga tudi v okviru študija na Fakulteti za vinogradništvo in vinarstvo Univerze v Novi Gorici.
Ljubezen do vsega živega, toplina in odprtost so Nikina glavna vodila, kar se kaže pri vsem njenem delovanju, pa naj gre za študij, skrb za promocijo družinske znamke, lasten razvoj ali pa razvoj podeželja. Njen pogled je zvedav, a osredotočen. Ob ljudeh, kot je ona, se nam za prihodnost slovenskega podeželja vsekakor ni treba bati, zato smo jo že ob prvem srečanju prepoznali kot lokalno faco.
Na pogovoru v grajski vinoteki Strelec v Ljubljani, se ji je pridružil fant Anže, s katerim tudi skupaj študirata in upirata svoja pogleda v jutrišnji dan.
Nika Glavina feels most at home when she is in nature. Although she grew up in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, she is most contended and happy in places where she is able to establish a genuine connection with the natural environment. It comes as no surprise that she has always immensely loved going to her grandfather Ludvik’s Santomas Estate in Šmarje. It’s her grandpa – ‘nono’ in the local dialect – who inspired her to gain an interest in wine growing and all the duties associated with it.
Despite her young age – or maybe exactly because of it – Nika knows winemaking to be a wholesome operation. She understands that every detail counts, she realizes that every particularity makes a difference in the final story of each wine. She’s growing her knowledge in this field with the encouragement from her grandpa, ‘nonič’ as she calls him in local language, and as a part of her study course at School for Viticulture and Enology at University of Nova Gorica.
Love for all living things, warmth and openness are Nika’s main principles, which are evident in everything that she does, be it studying, promoting the family brand, developing her own skills or rural development in general. Her gaze iz curious, but determined. With people like her, we don’t need to worry for the future of Slovenian rural areas, that’s why we were certain she’s our #localhero on first sight.
We spoke with Nika at the Castle Wine Bar Strelec at Ljubljana Castle where she was joined by her boyfriend Anže, with whom they share the field of study and also contemplate the future together.
Intervju / Interview
Kako usklajujete študij z delom na kmetiji Santomas?
Kdo vam pri tem nudi največ podpore?
Največ podpore definitivno moj nonič, Ludvik Glavina. Od njega res dobim vso podporo, kar jo lahko. Drugače pa je usklajevanje študija z delom na kmetiji zelo zabavno. Na srečo se čez leto vse to lepo izteče, oktobra se nam začnejo predavanja, zaključijo se nam okrog junija, potem pa je kmalu ravno čas za trgatev in se časovno vse izide. Čez leto zdaj večinoma delam na promocijah, kar se lažje usklajuje, ker potekajo med vikendom ali kaj podobnega, tako da gredo zadeve lepo skozi.
Obstaja za to razumevanje tudi v okviru študija?
Moram reči, da fakulteta zelo lepo razume situacije, kar se tega tiče, ker večina sošolcev tudi prihaja z vinogradniških kmetij in ves čas potekajo neka usklajevanja, sploh glede kakšnih poletnih praks ali glede dela čez leto, so zelo razumevajoči. Zelo hitro si pridemo tudi nasproti, tako da imam glede tega same dobre izkušnje in nimamo s tem nikoli problemov.
How have you been balancing your studies with working on the Santomas Estate?
Who provides you with the most support?
I get the most support from my ‘nonič’ (local dialect for ‘grandpa’), Ludvik Glavina. He really gives me all the support I need. Balancing my studies with working on the farm is actually a lot of fun. Schools starts in October and finishes in June, which means I’m available for the grape harvest and everything kind of works out. For now, I’ve been been mainly working on the promotional side of the business, which is easier to coordinate because the promotions also take place during the weekend, so I’m able to fit them into my schedule quite nicely.
Does your faculty encourage you in your endeavours as well?
I have to say that the faculty has a lot of understanding for different situations, because most of my classmates also come from vineyard estates and there’s a constant need for coordination, especially when it comes to summer work practices or work in general they are very understanding. We’re able to find common ground very quickly, so that’s never really a problem, if I’m allowed to say so.
Tradicije vinarstva (in oljkarstva) se učite od dedka Ludvika.
Česa vse ste se naučili od njega in kako vam to pomaga?
On mi je res dal široko paleto znanja. Torej, nekako od teh osnovnih vinogradniških del, potem osnove dela v kleti, sploh kar se tiče tudi pomembnosti promocij, kako je vse skupaj povezano nekako, zgodba kmetije z dobrim vinom, s tradicijo, z neko simboliko. Zelo veliko mi je dal [na področju tega], kako so vse te majhne stvari pomembne, kako je vsak detajl, ki ga ti narediš v vinogradu, ki ga ti narediš v kleti ali pa potem kasneje na promociji – kako je vse to skupaj pomembno. Vsak detajl resnično šteje in tukaj je, se mi zdi, največ, kar me je lahko naučil. Potem so pa seveda še ostale stvari, za kar imamo odličnega enologa, odlične sodelavce, ki tudi z veseljem širijo znanje, za kar sem resnično vesela.
You’ve been larning the tradition of winemaking (and olive oil production) from your grandfather Ludvik.
What have you learned from your him and how does this benefit you?
He really gave me a wide palette of knowledge. From the basic knowledge of the tasks on the grapevine plantation, basics of working in the cellar, the importance of promotions, exposing the importance of understanding how everything is connected, how the story of the estate is associated to the quality fo the wine, to the tradition, to the symbolism. He gave me a lot in the sense of awareness of how all the little things are important, how every detail you do in the vineyard, in the cellar, or later in the promotions stage – how all of this is important. Every detail really counts and this is the most important knowledge he could give me. Of course there’s other things as well then, that’s why we have an excellent enologist, excellent co-workers, who enjoy spreading the insights, which makes me really happy.
Kaj se vam zdi ključno za to, da se podeželje in mesta bolj povežejo?
Jaz sem že tako človek narave, če se lahko tako izrazim, in meni so že od nekdaj vasi veliko bolj pri srcu, zaradi narave, tudi ljudje so veliko bolj povezani v samih vaseh, kar se zelo občuti, ko sva … sem dol, v Šmarjah, tako da to mi je resnično všeč. Drugače pa povezovanje mesta z vasjo – trenutno se še vedno dogaja ta centralizacija, torej gre vse v mesta; nekako hočem tudi sama ta mit spremeniti: da gremo vsi mladi v mesta. Upam, da se bo tudi veliko več ostalih mladih ljudi odločilo, da bodo ostali doma, ostali na kmetiji, ker je to neko tako zelo lepo delo, moraš ga imeti rad, moraš delati s srcem in nekako sem našla v tem.
Kaj pa vloga mladih pri razvoju kvalitetnega življenja na podeželju?
Vsekakor si želim in prizadevam, da bi se tudi podeželja nekako razvijala, da ne bi obstala na nekem mestu, ampak da bi se začele dogajati tudi druge stvari, ki bi povezovale mlade. Morda kakšni športni dogodki, da niso vse stvari v mestu; vse gre vedno v mesto. Tudi ko sem recimo sama trenirala določene športe, ko sem bila še v osnovni šoli, je šlo vedno vse recimo v Ljubljano, vse v centralizacijo. Želim si, da bi se na tem področju stvari izboljšale.
What do you consider to be key for a better interconnectedness of rural and urban areas?
I’m a person of nature, if I can put it like that, and I’ve always been more fond of the villages because of the nature there, also the people there are more connected, which I experience when we… I’m in Šmarje, so that is something I really like. Otherwise, I think that as far connecting cities to villages – currently, there’s still centralization taking place, meaning that everything gravitates towards cities; and I want to be someone who changes this myth: the myth that youth is moving into the cities. I hope that other young people decide to stay home, stay on their home estates, because this work is really beautiful, you have to love it, you have to put your heart into it, and that’s where I found myself.
How about the role of young people in developing prosperous life conditions in rural areas?
I’d definitely like to see rural areas develop, so that they wouldn’t be standing still, but would instead be a place where things are happening, things that connect the youth. Maybe some sports events, so that not everything is in the city; everything always gravitates towards the city. When I was doing my sports training in primary school, everything took place in Ljubljana, in the central. I would look things to improve in this area.
Kaj je prva stvar, ki jo naredite, ko se zjutraj zbudite?
V bistvu je vsak dan malo drugačen, ker imam zelo razgiban urnik čez celo leto. Če se da, malo pospim, drugače pa definitivno vstanem, pogledam, kaj imam na koledarju za tisti dan, ker je zelo razburkano, nikoli ne vem skoraj, kaj točno me čaka, tako da se poskusim čim bolje pripraviti na dan, potem pa gremo z veseljem v nov dan in vidimo, kako se bo izpeljal.
Se lahko opišete v treh besedah?
Lahko, v bistvu moram reči, da sem zelo entuziastična, sem tudi zelo srčna oseba in pozitivna, ampak vedno poskušam pogledati še z realne strani.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
Basically, each day is a little bit different, because my schedule is very dynamic throughout the year. If I can, I sleep in a little bit, but otherwise I check my calendar for the day, because it’s very diverse, I almost never really know what’s ahead of me, so I try to prepare myself for the day the best I can and then I joyfully start a new day and see how it turns out.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
I can, basically I have to say I’m very enthusiastic, warm and positive person, but I try to see the real picture as well.
Če bi si lahko izbrali nadnaravno moč, katera bi to bila?
Če tako v bistvu pomislim: nobene, ker verjamem v neka dela, ki jih lahko naredim sama, kar se lahko jaz naučim; in v bistvu kot neka nadnaravna moč je to, da širiš vse to znanje, vso to ljubezen do nekega dela drugim ljudem, da se jim lahko to pokaže, in to se meni zdi tudi srčnost do živali – sama sem zelo velika ljubiteljica živali –, da lahko vse to širiš med druge ljudi, se mi zdi kot neka nadnaravna moč.
Kaj pa vas nasmeji in spravi v dobro voljo?
Veliko stvari, ampak najpomembnejša mi je definitivno, ko si s fantom Anžetom vzameva čas za naju, kar je v trenutnih razburkanih dneh malo težje, ampak se potrudiva; drugače pa sem zelo srečna tudi, ko grem v hlev – tam imam kobilo in popoldnevi z njo so srečni dnevi.
If you could choose to have a superpower, what would it be?
Come to think of it: none, because I believe in things I can do myself, thing I can learn; basically, the kind of superpower is to share all the knowledge, all the love for something you do with other people, to be able to show them, to be kind to animals – I’m a big animal lover – to be able to share all that with people, that is a superpower to me.
What makes you laugh and puts you in a good mood?
Many things, but the most important one to me is definitely when me and my boyfriend Anže are able to take time for ourselves, which can prove to be a little bit more difficult in these turbulent days, but we try our best; I am also very happy when I’m in the stable – I have a mare in the stable and afternoons spent with her are happy days for me.
Imate na kmetiji ali v njeni okolici kak svoj najljubši kotiček?
Meni je v bistvu, če pogledam že na splošno vsako vas, mi je definitivno [najbližje] narava. In to vedno opazim, to vedno pogledam, in v vasi, v Šmarjah, kjer imamo tudi vinarno, so mi pa, če lahko izberem, vinogradi definitivno najlepši pogled.
Kateri letni čas najboljše opiše vaš karakter? Zakaj?
Poletje. Zato ker se tudi sama počutim, kot da sem taka topla, odprta oseba, obožujem sončne dni, tako da to je letni čas zame.
Do you have a favourite spot in the village?
For me in general, in each village what I like the most is the nature. I always pay attention to it, I always observe it, and in the village, in Šmarje where our winery is, the vineyards are my most beautiful vista.
What time of the year best describes your character?
Summer. Because I feel I am a warm and open person, I adore sunny days, so summer my time of the year.
