Page 68 - Terčelj, Dušan. 2015. The Culture of Wine in Slovenia. Edited by Aleš Gačnik. University of Primorska Press, Koper.
P. 68
he Culture of Wine in Slovenia
there is an advisory service boosting viniculture by offering courses for winemakers. The
number of the latter has grown since Slovenia’s independence and they have placed new
bottled wines on the market.
Consumers, too, have increased their knowledge through visits to national and international
wine exhibitions. There are also numerous courses for wine testers. The goal of all these
measures is to raise the quality of wine drinking. Wine consumers must become acquainted
with the varieties of wine, differentiating the many aromas and flavours, and by constantly
improving their skills they must get used to the aroma and flavour that best suits them.
In addition, they must learn which wine should be drunk with which food, which will
improve the quality of their life. Wine will contribute to a better style of life rather than
being a source of intoxication. They will drink their favourite wine in small quantities,
for pleasure. Excessive drinking would thus no longer happen, with the exception of very
special occasions, perhaps once a year, when they would go beyond the line separating good
spirits from intoxication which, however, should never lead to loss of control or of dignity.
We have already achieved good results in the narrow circle of wine connoisseurs, but these
results will have to be extended into a general awareness of the quality of wine enjoyment.
Before World War Two there were abstinence societies, but they had little success widening
the circle of their members. Let us hope that re-education produces better results and this
should be our constant concern.
In September 2005, the Council of Europe declared St. Martin to be a European Figure, which is not surprising as he was
born in the present-day Szombathely in Hungary, spent his childhood near Pavia in Italy, died in Tours in France and with
his charitable deeds and the example of his life marked the whole of Europe. A major European cultural route is woven
around him, leading through many countries, including Slovenia.
The Slovene treasury of “Martin’s heritage” is very diverse, reaching from excellent Gothic frescoes to rich Baroque
paintings. Our best known “wine” saint marked European culture more with his charitable gesture of sharing his cloak with
a beggar than with wine. In Slovenia, eighty churches are named after him and many popular traditions are connected
with him. One of the goals of the creation of St. Martin’s European cultural route, marked with “Martin’s footprint”, is to
evaluate the cultural heritage linked to this saint.
In the photographs: Martin’s chapel next to St. Martin’s church in Sp. Hajdina near Ptuj, the Baroque church of St. Martin
in Kamnica near Maribor, Martin’s footprint (the symbol), the Gothic church of St. Martin in Martjanci near Murska Sobota,
2006. Photos: Aleš Gačnik.
But we can not be satisfied with just the results of re-education. We should take another step
up the wine culture ladder. Wine is a product of nature and nature affects its characteristics
and quality. The character of wine depends greatly on the winegrower, who is also, in a
64
there is an advisory service boosting viniculture by offering courses for winemakers. The
number of the latter has grown since Slovenia’s independence and they have placed new
bottled wines on the market.
Consumers, too, have increased their knowledge through visits to national and international
wine exhibitions. There are also numerous courses for wine testers. The goal of all these
measures is to raise the quality of wine drinking. Wine consumers must become acquainted
with the varieties of wine, differentiating the many aromas and flavours, and by constantly
improving their skills they must get used to the aroma and flavour that best suits them.
In addition, they must learn which wine should be drunk with which food, which will
improve the quality of their life. Wine will contribute to a better style of life rather than
being a source of intoxication. They will drink their favourite wine in small quantities,
for pleasure. Excessive drinking would thus no longer happen, with the exception of very
special occasions, perhaps once a year, when they would go beyond the line separating good
spirits from intoxication which, however, should never lead to loss of control or of dignity.
We have already achieved good results in the narrow circle of wine connoisseurs, but these
results will have to be extended into a general awareness of the quality of wine enjoyment.
Before World War Two there were abstinence societies, but they had little success widening
the circle of their members. Let us hope that re-education produces better results and this
should be our constant concern.
In September 2005, the Council of Europe declared St. Martin to be a European Figure, which is not surprising as he was
born in the present-day Szombathely in Hungary, spent his childhood near Pavia in Italy, died in Tours in France and with
his charitable deeds and the example of his life marked the whole of Europe. A major European cultural route is woven
around him, leading through many countries, including Slovenia.
The Slovene treasury of “Martin’s heritage” is very diverse, reaching from excellent Gothic frescoes to rich Baroque
paintings. Our best known “wine” saint marked European culture more with his charitable gesture of sharing his cloak with
a beggar than with wine. In Slovenia, eighty churches are named after him and many popular traditions are connected
with him. One of the goals of the creation of St. Martin’s European cultural route, marked with “Martin’s footprint”, is to
evaluate the cultural heritage linked to this saint.
In the photographs: Martin’s chapel next to St. Martin’s church in Sp. Hajdina near Ptuj, the Baroque church of St. Martin
in Kamnica near Maribor, Martin’s footprint (the symbol), the Gothic church of St. Martin in Martjanci near Murska Sobota,
2006. Photos: Aleš Gačnik.
But we can not be satisfied with just the results of re-education. We should take another step
up the wine culture ladder. Wine is a product of nature and nature affects its characteristics
and quality. The character of wine depends greatly on the winegrower, who is also, in a
64
