Have you ever heard of the Slovenian wine tradition? If the answer is yes it means you are already on the proper way, if not this post is the right starting point to discover an ancient tradition that dates back to ancient Rome.
It would be an ardous choice to pick the best region of Slovenia to try best wines but a city with a particular tie with the vines there is: Maribor.
Maribor is in the beautiful Styria region, the second largest city of Slovenia and it has a goliardic rivalry with the capital city of the Dragon: Ljubljana.
Maribor is a vibrant city with an active student and artistic life and it is also the city of Bacchus. You may encounter different Bacchus’s statues around the city and all of them have a happy smile of convivial joy.
In Maribor there are numerous wine traditions, scents and flavors. You need to know that under the main square of Maribor there are the Vinagova Klet’s cellars with two and a half kilometers of tunnels containing huge wine barrels that will leave you astonished by the size.
If barrels are stored in the heart of the city, vineyards grow around it. Of the countless vines in the region one is really special. I admit that at the beginning I was a bit skeptical myself. In Maribor, along the Drava River, there is the oldest vine in the world.
If you don’t trust me I invite you to see it personally. It grows on the outer wall of a building that at the time of its origins saw the fierce battles against the Ottomans. Today, those battles are just an old memory in history books, but that little vine that was planted in those times still lies there. Do not expect a stunted plant because of the age, on the contrary! Plain and green the world’s oldest vine is still alive and proudly counts more than four hundred years of history.
With the ages the palace shape and the neighborhood changed but the vine has always been there.
For the non-believers, the Maribor’s vine has been included in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest living vine in the world.
Today, this building houses the Old Vine House with its own entrance right next to the vine. Inside you can have a wine tasting accompanied by delicious appetizers.
From the Quarter of Lent, where the vine grows, you can go on a visit to a city that has a lot to offer between culture, history, architecture, spas and festivals.
Info and Link:
To visit the Old Vine House please have a look at the official website.
To book a tour of the tunnels at Vinagova Klet wine barrels, located in the central Trg Svobode, you need to book a visit to the Maribor Tourist Information Center – TIC Maribor in the central Partizanska cesta 6 °, for information you can write to the following e-mail: tic@maribor.si
Do not miss the next post to discover Slovenia and, if you want to discover this magnificent Country, do not miss the Slovenia guide I wrote and available in the bookstores in Italian. Curiosities, anecdotes, photos and useful information will accompany you on your trip. Here the link at the Morellini Editore website.