From the Grape Harvest to Celebration of Saint Martins Day

September ushers in the start of the grape harvesting season,in Slovenia. In Maribor, the Slovenian wine capital, the 14th Old Vine Festival will also be held in September, one of the most important wine events in Slovenia. In November, when the wine is ripe, it is time for festive and traditional celebrations of Saint Martin`s Day, held all over the country.

Maribor, the capital of the Štajerska region and the city of the oldest vine in the world, assumes the honour in September of hosting the next important culinary event in the country. The 10-day wine festival, held from 19 to 28 September, is an ideal for wine lovers to fill the city along the Drava. The old vine is more than 400 years old and the oldest vine in the world, making it the most recognisable ethnographic feature of Maribor. The vine still bears 50 kilograms of delicious Žametovka or Modra Kavčina grapes, one of the oldest sorts in Slovenia. The festival offers a rich programme of wine tastings, an exhibition of traditional customs, concerts, and biking and hiking tours through the hills surrounding the Slovenian wine capital. The Festival is the main event to finish out the season from the first pruning to the celebration of Saint Martin`s Day. While walking through Maribor you can also explore the wine roads, either by car or by bike, where local providers offer unforgettable culinary specialities.

Slovenia boasts three wine-growing regions, 14 wine-growing districts, and close to 30,000 registered producers of grapes – and almost all of them are also wine-makers. Slovenia is a small territory with a great selection of European wines, as in fact 1 out of every 70 Slovenians is a vintner. Most grape harvests take place from the end of August to the first half of October. First they start in the wine-growing districts of the Primorska wine-growing region, as grapes ripen sooner there due to the favourable climate, and continue in the Lower Sava Valley wine-growing region and the Lower Drava Valley wine-growing region. In Slovenia, grape harvesting by hand is still popular. It is a big social event, where the rule of "strength in numbers" is most important. Festivities follow a successful grape harvest.

In November, when the wine is ripe, the whole country celebrates Saint Martin`s Day. These are the main events of autumn, celebrating the fermentation of must into wine and marking the start of preparations for winter in the countryside. On Saint Martin`s Day, 11 November, the name day of Saint Martin, is celebrated, who is said to turn water into wine. More information on the venues of traditional celebrations of Saint Martin`s Day can be found here. Also do not forget to visit Brda and Maribor. Raise a toast to Slovenia!

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