The history of wine growing in Slovenia can be traced back to Roman times and Slovenes are justifiably proud of their wine growing heritage. These days the majority of wine produced in Slovenia is consumed by the home market but some Ciao-ers may recall drinking Ljutomer Riesling back in the 1970s and early 1980s when it was very popular in the UK. Each of Slovenia’s wine growing areas has its own designated “Wine Route” where you can sample and buy wine direct from the producer (at a place called a “vinotoc”) at a number of locations but the true heart of Slovenia’s wine tradition is focused on Maribor’s “Stara trta” (pronounced "tairta") or, in English, “Old Vine”.

This ancient vine is over four hundred years old and is the oldest living vine in the world. Not only have experts used scientific methods to calculate the age of the vine, there is plenty of documentary evidence in the city archives and in works of art going back several hundred years. The vine is trained on an old house (recently restored due to structural problems connected with old age), the interior of which is now a visitor centre and the location is the scene for an annual festival lasting around ten days which culminates in the cutting of the grapes from the vine by the city viticulturalist. This year was the first I have been able to attend some of the festival, although I was disappointed not to be able to stay for the grand finale when many of the townspeople come to watch the grapes being cut.

The “Stara trta” is located in the Lent area of the city centre, on the north bank of the River Drava. There is parking in several places along the river front or you can walk through the lanes of the Old Town to the river front. The “Hiša stara trta” (the house of the Old Vine”) is signposted from the main road but I don’t think it is very clear where you need to go). Quite simply, at the “Stari most” (the old bridge) on the city side, take the stairs beside the old casino and at the bottom head for the water ahead of you. Turn right and after a handful of bars, you’ll see the house of the Old Vine on your right.
The vine stretches almost across the entire width of the building. Looking at the “trunk” of the vine, it’s amazing to think that it can support the weight of the rest of the vine, although it is also partly carried by a special trellis. Railings around the base protect the roots. When we were there in September, not long before the grapes were due to be harvested, a protective mesh had been installed over the leaves and fruit in order to protect it, and protect it they must because, as one would expect, one single vine does not yield a huge amount of grapes (between 25 and 55 Kg usually) and therefore only a limited amount of wine. As for the wine, the few bottles that are made are given to visiting dignitaries and reserved for a small number of civic functions. I guess I’ll never be bringing a drop home to the UK; fortunately you can see them on display in the house in bottles designed by a famous Slovenian artist Oskar Kogoj.

The interior of the house is rather simple and modern. As well as an exhibition space, there are some function rooms. A number of wine organisations, local and national, have their headquarters, and therefore their annual and occasional meetings, at the house. The permanent exhibition explains a little about wine manufacture, the history of this vine and the building, and a bit about the particular type of wine created from these grapes - Žametovka (or Blue Franconian). You can learn about the famous people who have been presented with bottles of the wine (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Clinton to mention two) and the places all over the world where scions of this vine have been planted – there’s even one on the Vatican! The vine is of particular importance because it survived a disease that wiped out most European vines during the nineteenth century. New vines had to be brought from North America, so Maribor’s vine is special because it is European and not American, like most others.

It doesn’t take long to view the exhibition, although sometimes other exhibitions are held in the building. In the past we have seen an exhibition of water-colours of scenes from the Lent district and another to do with local food specialities. There are two wooden cut-outs of a man and a woman in traditional dress, with spaces for you to place your own face and have your photograph taken but this is about as interactive as it gets – except, of course, for sampling some local wine, even if it’s not from this vine itself.

One of the things I love about Slovenian people is that they know a lot about their traditional foods and produce, even the younger people. Food and drink is at the heart of a number of festivals throughout the year and the arrival of some products is awaited with anticipation. For example, in mid-September the “must” is ready. In Slovenia it’s known as “sladki mušt” – sweet must. This is a very slightly alcoholic drink made from the grapes that are not used for “proper” wine-making. Cafes have signs outside announcing that the must has arrived (a bit like the excitement of “le Beaujolais nouveau est arrive” that we used to get in the UK in the 1980s); it’s cheap – this year we paid about 70 Pence a glass for this refreshing and slightly sparkling drink.

In mid-November comes “Martinovanje” or St. Martinmas when Slovenians celebrate the time when the product of the grapes can officially be called “wine”. Families get together and celebrate by eating roast goose with all the trimmings and drinking copious amounts of the young wine. I recall a particularly memorable Martinovanje in Ljubljana when an office party turned into mayhem in a city centre bar as a man in a pin stripe suit was seen flirting with several female members of staff while sporting a couple of dried corncobs draped around his neck. Slovenians take great pains to celebrate Martinovanje with as much gusto as possible!

In order that Martinovanje can be celebrated, the vines must be cut at the end of September and the cutting of the Stara trta is the culmination of the Stara Trta Festival. The festival takes place at various locations in the city and celebrates not just the local wine tradition but Slovenian produce in general as well as things cultural. We attended the opening of the festival, held at the Stara trta this year. A ladies choir, singing traditional country songs performed, as well as a Slovenian brass band. A rafting event takes place as part of the festival and a special “restaurant raft” on which you are sailed down the River Drava as you dine. On the first Saturday of the festival a market takes place on the square in front of Maribor Castle where producers from all over the country bring their food to sell; highlights are pumpkin oil from the region around Maribor and a tasty sausage from the town of Kranj, just north of the capital.

However, the most important thing is the harvesting of the grapes. It’s a rather odd thing because according to custom the master of the vine, the Mayor of Maribor, is supposed to ascertain when the grapes are ready for harvesting but as the announcements about the dates of the festival are made in advance I can’t see how this can be. Assuming he does make the decision, he appoints the grape gathers (experts from the region) to come and do their job – which is to cut and weigh the grapes, add the correct amount of sugar, press the grapes and place them in the containers which are then taken to the cellars of Vinag. There are twenty-thousand square metres of wine cellar under the heart of the town centre and visitors can tour them with a wine tasting session at the end of the tour, an activity I can recommend having done it myself.

Would I recommend a visit to the Old Vine? If you are interested in wine then certainly, although it is disappointing that you can’t sample the wine from this vine. Admission is free and although there isn’t a huge amount to see, it’s well presented and captions are in English as well as Slovene. The staff are also very helpful. If you aren’t that interested in wine, you should still look out for the Stara trta anyway when walking along the river front. I think it’s quite cool to say you’ve seen the world’s oldest vine and I’m rather proud to say I live in the town where you can find it!

Tuesday - Sunday: 10.00 - 18.00, Monday: closed
Vojašniška 8, Maribor

Note - in Slovene only the first word uses a capital letter hence "Stara trta"