Page 54 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 54
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
Travelling around Styria, he described his meeting with the Celje governor Andrej Hohen-
warter: “... he served more than six courses, consisting of fish cooked in various ways, two
kinds of wine, in addition to a sweet Rebula...”9 and “... when on that day the mighty Celje
governor found out that Santonino was not dining with the others, in the early evening
he sent him a large tin jug, filled with excellent Malvasia, so that Santonino could have a
drink with his friends...”10
It is clear from Santonino’s diary that both serfs and the nobility took wine during meals
and that even in that period wine was an important drink. The best wines were produced
in vineyards belonging to castles and monasteries. In the Middle Ages, the latter were the
centres of science. They ensured that there was progress in viticulture, in the quality of life
and in the quality of wine drinking. The serf winegrowers gave their lords a part of their
produce, which was of worse quality.
An inhabitant of the Vipava area with his grape tub, 1689 The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola from 1689 by
(etching). From the book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola Janez Vajkard Valvasor is of particular importance.
by Janez Vajkard Valvasor, a copy of the original. The archive In it, the author describes Slovene customs in the
of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum. 17th century. He mentions the variety and excellence
of wine on the Kras plateau and the Vipava Valley:
“In the aforementioned Vipava and on the Kras
there grow the most noble wines of various kinds
in huge quantities. The red wines have various
names, such as Teran, Marcevin or Marcemin,
Pinol or Pignol, Refoško and many others. White
wines, too, come in a number of varieties: thus
there is Vipavec (which, as mentioned above, its
makers call Kindermacher, as it warms up all the
limbs), White Teran or Cividin, Prosekar, Črni
Kalec, Muškatelec and many other selections
of exceedingly flavoursome wines; it would be
difficult to find a greater variety or better quality
in any other country. .... How excellent, delicious
and strong these wines are is shown by the fact that
they are sold in German lands as Vin de Canea,
as Malvasia and other such strong wines.”11 With
regard to Lower Carniola, he said: “They say that
where there is no wine, there is no happiness.
Lower Carniola must thus consider itself happier
than many other lands where the vine does not
grow, as it has a large family of vineyards; it has
no right to complain in this respect about the lack
of happiness.”12
9 Santonino, 1991, p.89
10 Ibid.
11 Valvasor, 1984, p.50
12 Valvasor, 1984, p.33
50
Travelling around Styria, he described his meeting with the Celje governor Andrej Hohen-
warter: “... he served more than six courses, consisting of fish cooked in various ways, two
kinds of wine, in addition to a sweet Rebula...”9 and “... when on that day the mighty Celje
governor found out that Santonino was not dining with the others, in the early evening
he sent him a large tin jug, filled with excellent Malvasia, so that Santonino could have a
drink with his friends...”10
It is clear from Santonino’s diary that both serfs and the nobility took wine during meals
and that even in that period wine was an important drink. The best wines were produced
in vineyards belonging to castles and monasteries. In the Middle Ages, the latter were the
centres of science. They ensured that there was progress in viticulture, in the quality of life
and in the quality of wine drinking. The serf winegrowers gave their lords a part of their
produce, which was of worse quality.
An inhabitant of the Vipava area with his grape tub, 1689 The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola from 1689 by
(etching). From the book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola Janez Vajkard Valvasor is of particular importance.
by Janez Vajkard Valvasor, a copy of the original. The archive In it, the author describes Slovene customs in the
of the Slovene Ethnographic Museum. 17th century. He mentions the variety and excellence
of wine on the Kras plateau and the Vipava Valley:
“In the aforementioned Vipava and on the Kras
there grow the most noble wines of various kinds
in huge quantities. The red wines have various
names, such as Teran, Marcevin or Marcemin,
Pinol or Pignol, Refoško and many others. White
wines, too, come in a number of varieties: thus
there is Vipavec (which, as mentioned above, its
makers call Kindermacher, as it warms up all the
limbs), White Teran or Cividin, Prosekar, Črni
Kalec, Muškatelec and many other selections
of exceedingly flavoursome wines; it would be
difficult to find a greater variety or better quality
in any other country. .... How excellent, delicious
and strong these wines are is shown by the fact that
they are sold in German lands as Vin de Canea,
as Malvasia and other such strong wines.”11 With
regard to Lower Carniola, he said: “They say that
where there is no wine, there is no happiness.
Lower Carniola must thus consider itself happier
than many other lands where the vine does not
grow, as it has a large family of vineyards; it has
no right to complain in this respect about the lack
of happiness.”12
9 Santonino, 1991, p.89
10 Ibid.
11 Valvasor, 1984, p.50
12 Valvasor, 1984, p.33
50
