Johanez Vine with the Ovtar sculpture

The world’s oldest grapevine, listed in the Guinness Book of Records and growing and bearing fruit for more than four hundred years on Maribor’s Lent by the Drava River, also grows in Cerkvenjak. A cutting of this famous four-century-old vine—known as “modra kavčina” or “žametna črnina”—was presented to the Municipality of Cerkvenjak by the custodian of the Old Vine, the Mayor of the City Municipality of Maribor, Mr Boris Sovič, during the pruning of the Old Vine. As part of the events marking Slovenia’s accession to the EU, it was ceremoniously planted on April 24, 2004, on the plaza in front of the fire station in the center of Cerkvenjak and named “Johanez Vine”.

In May 2010, the Municipality of Cerkvenjak set out to create the visual identity of Johanez Wine. The graphic design—based on a proposal by Mayor Jože Kraner and the municipal vinedresser Ivan Janez Pučko—was produced by the company IKARUSS from Sv. Jurij ob Ščavnici. The Johanez Wine identity comprises a certificate for the wine from the Johanez Vine, a bottle with a tag, and packaging for the bottle. In 2010, the Cerkvenjak Winegrowers and Wine Lovers Association filled the first ceremonial bottle of wine from the Johanez Vine.