We were in Slovenia in March. Guinness links the two items in this post.
The Oldest Vine in the world ,recognised as such by the Guinness
Like the pruning ceremony the harvesting shown here is the occasion for great celebration and ceremony. Slovenian wine is of the highest quality and they keep 97% of it to themselves.Book of Records, at some 400 years old, is in Mirabor, second city of Slovenia. The vine adorns what is now a visitor centre where, five days before their annual pruning festival , we spent a pleasant afternoon checking the quality of the wine and being privileged to receive three cuttings, in advance of the big day, to take home for planting in Wales, we think the first time its found a home here. It can’t be illegal to export it, other countries have had cuttings, but it felt like it as we secured it inside our violin case for the journey home .
The Guinness flowed freely, for the musicians anyway, at the Hotel Mitra in Ptuj as a proud father teamed up with son, Will, for four days of music, as the hotel acquired an Irish themed bar for the annual sheep festival. We also walked in one of the processions and hung out with ‘sheep’ , up to 700 of them on one day, clanging their cow bells around the town. A UNESCO world heritage festival , its authenticity was certainly compromised by the appearance of two ‘irishmen’ from Bristol and Wales but that’s what they wanted. And the trays of Guinness were served with the speciality of the town- apricot filled doughnuts!
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