Osmica in Vipava Valley

Osmica is a popular custom and tradition held in the south-western part of Slovenia, more precisely in the Karst and coastal areas. The events attract visitors from far and beyond. According to traditional ways of selling wine and produce, the farmers open their doors for ten days, welcoming guests to a kind of temporary wine & food taverns. Osmica events normally happen twice a year, presenting genuine home dishes and small-farm produce while offering tastings of house wines, in the evenings at times accompanied by music and merrymaking.

This tradition originates from the times of Maria Theresa, the innovative and clever Austro-Hungarian Emperor, who allowed farmers to sell their wine and home-grown/home-made products without paying taxes for a period of eight (osem in Slovene, hence the name) days in a given year. What special about the events is that there is no fixed date, each farmer chooses their own dates and opens doors of their estate. The events usually reach peak between November and June. The local tourism board of Vipava Valley has launched a search engine on their webpage, where you will have a chance to browse through the providers which participate in “osmica” and choose the dates + the farmhouse which best suits your wishes and demands. 

Let us recall: one of Slovenia's best kept secrets was uncovered by Lonely Planet when publishing it as one of the continent’s hotspots this year. And it deserves this title: the Vipava Valley is not only breath-taking, it also boasts high-quality wines and in recent years also delicious craft beers; it is well-known for superb food and countless activities for all visitors.

Photo provided by Vipava Valley Tourism Board.

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