Page 145 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 145
Getting to know wine
Specialist societies
Specialist societies facilitate contacts between experts, dis-
cussions about problems associated with wine and learning
more about wine. As already mentioned, winegrowers are
united in societies where they organise assessments of the
wines produced by the society’s members, in the form of
competitions. Societies also offer educational courses about
the modern cultivation of grapes and wine production,
and in particular about the sensory aspects of wine tasting,
which enables members to sharpen their tasting abilities.
The St. Martin’s Brotherhood was
founded as an association of friends
and wine lovers in 1997 with the goal
of getting to know the heritage and
culture of wine in Slovenia and abroad.
St. Martin’s celebrations in 2002 were
planned as a project under the title
Along the Šipon Way, and reached their
peak at Puklavec’s wine cellar in Kog.
Photo: Zlatko Fišer.
The Martin’s Brotherhood was, according to Drago Medved, established in 1906 in the small village of Žablje in Kal
above Kanal. In 1953 Pavel Medvešček enquired there about the brotherhood. Anton Žabar told him that the idea
came from the Vipava Valley as one of the locals went to work in the vineyards there. The brotherhood was founded
on 11 November 1906 and had nine founding members. The oldest member put another member forward as the
head, whom they called the starod or “old one” and who conducted the oath-taking ceremony. He sat down and the
others put a kind of crown on his head; in his hand he held a wine jug. The starod appointed two assistants and this
gave the brotherhood its leadership; he also had a linen bag containing special stones, which were used when electing
members. The members were known as martinci, and apprentices as vincenci. The brotherhood would meet every
11 November (St. Martin’s Day) and 22 January (St. Vincent’s Day). They also had traditional dishes that were eaten
on those days. The brotherhood stopped its activities in 1926 because of Fascism. All its members were patriotic
Slovene boys and men, the brotherhood acted in secret and all the rules were kept only in the members’ heads, nothing
was written down. The word they gave had to be upheld. In 2001, Radivoj Humar, Boris Lieber and Drago Medved
established the Abča society, within which they renewed the work of the Martin’s Brotherhood.
Martinci in Maribor. Photo: Borut Šraj.
For a number of years, Smiljan Benkovič led the
event Presenting Wine at the Ptuj Castle café.
Ptuj Castle, 2006. Photo: Črtomir Goznik.
141
Specialist societies
Specialist societies facilitate contacts between experts, dis-
cussions about problems associated with wine and learning
more about wine. As already mentioned, winegrowers are
united in societies where they organise assessments of the
wines produced by the society’s members, in the form of
competitions. Societies also offer educational courses about
the modern cultivation of grapes and wine production,
and in particular about the sensory aspects of wine tasting,
which enables members to sharpen their tasting abilities.
The St. Martin’s Brotherhood was
founded as an association of friends
and wine lovers in 1997 with the goal
of getting to know the heritage and
culture of wine in Slovenia and abroad.
St. Martin’s celebrations in 2002 were
planned as a project under the title
Along the Šipon Way, and reached their
peak at Puklavec’s wine cellar in Kog.
Photo: Zlatko Fišer.
The Martin’s Brotherhood was, according to Drago Medved, established in 1906 in the small village of Žablje in Kal
above Kanal. In 1953 Pavel Medvešček enquired there about the brotherhood. Anton Žabar told him that the idea
came from the Vipava Valley as one of the locals went to work in the vineyards there. The brotherhood was founded
on 11 November 1906 and had nine founding members. The oldest member put another member forward as the
head, whom they called the starod or “old one” and who conducted the oath-taking ceremony. He sat down and the
others put a kind of crown on his head; in his hand he held a wine jug. The starod appointed two assistants and this
gave the brotherhood its leadership; he also had a linen bag containing special stones, which were used when electing
members. The members were known as martinci, and apprentices as vincenci. The brotherhood would meet every
11 November (St. Martin’s Day) and 22 January (St. Vincent’s Day). They also had traditional dishes that were eaten
on those days. The brotherhood stopped its activities in 1926 because of Fascism. All its members were patriotic
Slovene boys and men, the brotherhood acted in secret and all the rules were kept only in the members’ heads, nothing
was written down. The word they gave had to be upheld. In 2001, Radivoj Humar, Boris Lieber and Drago Medved
established the Abča society, within which they renewed the work of the Martin’s Brotherhood.
Martinci in Maribor. Photo: Borut Šraj.
For a number of years, Smiljan Benkovič led the
event Presenting Wine at the Ptuj Castle café.
Ptuj Castle, 2006. Photo: Črtomir Goznik.
141
