Page 198 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 198
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
Ljubljana held a monopoly until 1550: until then, wines from Primorska and Italy were sold
and bought in Ljubljana. The records from 1565 show clearly that German merchants started
buying wine in Vipava and Primorska themselves. The town authorities in Ljubljana in 1561
determined a place on Breg, by the river, where wine transactions took place. They also
issued a decree that foreign merchants were allowed to buy young wines after St. Martin’s
Day. In 1582, the town authorities also prescribed an official record of the wine sold by
caterers and in draught wine shops, and used this as a base for taxation. Those transporting
wine had to measure the quantity of wine before selling it and pay a contribution. The
data for Ljubljana on the sale of wine and prices is quite interesting. According to the first
recording of wine in 1582, there were in Ljubljana:
• 8 inns with more than 10 barrels of wine,
• 8 inns with 5 to 10 barrels of wine,
• 22 inns with 1 to 5 barrels of wine,
• 23 inns with less than one barrel of wine.
These 61 inns had:
• 1 60 barrels and 41.5 loads of Teran,
• 74 barrels and 20 loads of Vipavec,
• 2 barrels and 5 loads of Dolenjc.
One load was a unit of measure weighing 85 kg, the amount carried by a beast of
burden on each side. The record also contains smaller quantities of Črnokalec, Mal-
vazija, Muškataljc and Rebula.
In 1622 all the stocks of wine held by the citizens of Ljubljana were recorded:
• 7 84 loads of Vipava and other Primorska wines
• 416 loads of wine from Lower Carniola.
Other units of measure were valid
in Styria. During the Middle Ages,
they used the same measures as in
Graz: 1 tub of 104.96 litres. Five
of these tubs formed a polovnjak
with 524.60 litres, two of which
made one štrtinjek. Later, they
adopted Viennese units: a Vien-
nese tub contained 56.6 litres, a
polovnjak 5 tubs with 283 litres
and a štrtinjak 10 tubs.
A model of a cart used in the transportation
of grapes in Primorska inside a house in
Šepulje, 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
194
Ljubljana held a monopoly until 1550: until then, wines from Primorska and Italy were sold
and bought in Ljubljana. The records from 1565 show clearly that German merchants started
buying wine in Vipava and Primorska themselves. The town authorities in Ljubljana in 1561
determined a place on Breg, by the river, where wine transactions took place. They also
issued a decree that foreign merchants were allowed to buy young wines after St. Martin’s
Day. In 1582, the town authorities also prescribed an official record of the wine sold by
caterers and in draught wine shops, and used this as a base for taxation. Those transporting
wine had to measure the quantity of wine before selling it and pay a contribution. The
data for Ljubljana on the sale of wine and prices is quite interesting. According to the first
recording of wine in 1582, there were in Ljubljana:
• 8 inns with more than 10 barrels of wine,
• 8 inns with 5 to 10 barrels of wine,
• 22 inns with 1 to 5 barrels of wine,
• 23 inns with less than one barrel of wine.
These 61 inns had:
• 1 60 barrels and 41.5 loads of Teran,
• 74 barrels and 20 loads of Vipavec,
• 2 barrels and 5 loads of Dolenjc.
One load was a unit of measure weighing 85 kg, the amount carried by a beast of
burden on each side. The record also contains smaller quantities of Črnokalec, Mal-
vazija, Muškataljc and Rebula.
In 1622 all the stocks of wine held by the citizens of Ljubljana were recorded:
• 7 84 loads of Vipava and other Primorska wines
• 416 loads of wine from Lower Carniola.
Other units of measure were valid
in Styria. During the Middle Ages,
they used the same measures as in
Graz: 1 tub of 104.96 litres. Five
of these tubs formed a polovnjak
with 524.60 litres, two of which
made one štrtinjek. Later, they
adopted Viennese units: a Vien-
nese tub contained 56.6 litres, a
polovnjak 5 tubs with 283 litres
and a štrtinjak 10 tubs.
A model of a cart used in the transportation
of grapes in Primorska inside a house in
Šepulje, 2006. Photo: Aleš Gačnik.
194
