The 40th Traditional Pruning of the Old Vine

Pruning of the vine is the most important task in the vineyard, as it strongly affects growth and yield. But pruning of the Old Vine is also a significant ceremonial event; on this occasion, the city of Maribor donates the scions of the Old Vine to its partner cities, communities and countries all over the world and chooses the next symbolic caretaker of the vine.

This year's pruning of the world’s oldest grapevine, Old Vine in Maribor, was a jubilee, as it was the 40th in a row. It was back in 1980, when the expert group of agronomists carried out the pruning of the vine for the first time. This is nowadays considered as the introductory act of the revitalization process of the old vine on the Maribor Lent. As the old vine caretaker, Stane Kocutar, put it, the cut was back then carried out on a small scale: "Given the modest biological development of the vine after the intervention, the participants agreed that it would be necessary to radically cut the dead parts of the vine.”

The vine also got a new caretaker – special honour was this time given to Sašo Arsenovič, Mayor of the Municipality of Maribor. He was the 8th in a row to receive this title. Recipiens of the Old Vine Scions were four Slovenian municipalities and 4 from abroad - the old vine scions have even travelled to Japan.

Slovenia
1. The municipality Ravne na Koroškem
2. The municipality and parish Razkrižje
3. Harness club Ljutomer
4. Society of winegrowers Ribnica na Dolenjskem

Abroad
1. The municipality Osijek, Croatia
2. National Park Inuyama by the Kiso river, Japan
3. Museum vineyard, Stetten im Remstal by Stuttgart, Germany
4. Szentgotthárd / Monotheter, Hungary

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