Heeeyho Readers! Have you ever appreciated wine from a 500-year-old vine?
One day, someone found time and will to plant a tree in Maribor, Slovenia. It must have been after Mathias Corvinus ― King of Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, and Duke of Austria ― failed, not once, but twice, to conquer the city walls in 1480. Circumstances are uncertain. The tree witnessed the magnificence of Suleiman the Magnificent in command of more than 100.000 Ottomans ― he too failed. The ancient vine (dubbed “Old Vine”) subsequently fought the fires of 1601, 1645, 1648, and 1700. Then, it outlasted the Napoleonic Empire, survived the phylloxera catastrophe in 1870, and endured The Great War and World War II.
Curious about the history, I set a march to find this mysterious tree. While walking alongside the river Drava, I get to the address: a house on Vojasniska ulica, number 8. A parched, tired, and lone tree stares at me. A grape vine. There's no fruit; leaves are gone. The little tree, spreading branches to both sides, has seen many winters. It is timid while hoards of frenetic tourists cluster to obtain photos. I sit on a bench and wait.
“It’s still here, five hundred years later…” declares a voice. I look to my side and before I can say anything, the man continues: “We attacked the walls, but that shoemaker flooded us all. Citizens defeating one hundred thousand men! How come I allowed that? It must be something with this tree. Miraculous power, whitchcraft.”
The man looks exhausted (and rather dead). I can't confirm his identity. He soon stands up and walks through the tourists before vanishing. Suleiman, I assume.
His testament confirms the claim: the Old Vine is more than 500-years old. Not only has Suleiman confirmed the speculation himself, but two paintings of Maribor, dating from 1657 and 1681, portray a vine on a trellis at the same address.
“This vine has seen some things,” I thought.
Research:
The Old Vine was planted by the end of the Middle Ages, when the Turk sieged Maribor. It is included in the Guinness Book of records as the oldest vine in the world still bearing fruits annually. An annual harvest ritual yields 35 to 55 kg of grapes, which fills more than 100 miniature bottles. The grapes are of the Žametovka (or Modra kavčina) type — one of the oldest domesticated varieties of noble grapes in Slovenia.
In 1963, the construction of a dam caused the river to rise by about 3 meters, posing a serious threat to the Old Vine, who started to die slowly. Experts from the Institute of Agriculture, led by Mag. Tone Zafošnik prevented the removal of the vine and the demolition of the house. Mag. Tone Zafošnik and his team restored the vine and the house in 1982. The Old Vine has lived ever since.
Obs: This post was only possible after extenuating research, from where the story unfolded. I visited Maribor in 2018 during my winter European bicycle trip, from Krakow (Poland), down to Slovenia, and finally into the United Kingdom. Despite having only one photo, I hope you've enjoyed this short text.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maribor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suleiman_the_Magnificent#Conquests_in_Europe
https://www.visitmaribor.si/en/what-to-do/wine-and-culinary/old-vine-house/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_vine
https://blog.lastbottlewines.com/education/oldest-grape-vine-slovenia/
https://www.oldvine.info/about/
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Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broke backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking and more than 5.000 km cycling. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.
