Wine and gastronomy
in Maribor
Maribor
Outstanding gastronomy-themed events, the high-quality offer of wine and cuisine, and the unique story of the Guinness World Record holder – the oldest vine – have convinced the demanding international public and placed the Styrian capital alongside the biggest stars on the European gastronomic map. The top-class gastronomy event Velvet Dinner among the vineyards, the popular wine and culinary evenings of the House of the Old Vine, city celebrations in honor of the Old Vine, and the famous Maribor St. Martin’s Festival across the entire city center are excellent opportunities to visit Maribor and its surroundings, where we enchant our guests with the distinctive Styrian hospitality.
The city’s rich winegrowing heritage can be experienced at the Old Vine House, a treasure trove of more than 200 labels of the finest Styrian wines, and at the nearby digitized Old Vine Museum; you can also descend into the Vinag Wine Cellar, one of the oldest and largest traditional wine cellars in Europe, stretching across 15,000 m² of ‘Maribor’s underground’. Throughout the year, the city hosts events in honor of its Guinness World Record holder – from the ceremonial spring pruning and the top-class gastronomic event Velvet Dinner among the vineyards, to the lively summer Wine Evenings on the Lent riverbank, the autumn Old Vine Festival with its festive harvest, and Slovenia’s most popular and largest St. Martin’s Festival.
The greatest tourist attraction of Maribor is the world’s oldest vine, which grows in the historic city center and has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records since 2004. The vine thrives in the city’s oldest district, Lent, where it climbs the façade of a building that once formed part of the town’s fortifications. Its story speaks of resilience and remarkable life energy, as in its 450 years the vine has survived everything from Turkish sieges, numerous fires, and vine pests to the bombing of the city. Offshoots of the Old Vine grow all around the world, while its wine has been presented as a high-level protocol gift of the Municipality of Maribor to famous personalities such as Garry Kimovich Kasparov, Václav Havel, Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Dalai Lama. As a symbol of Maribor’s and Styria’s rich wine culture, the Old Vine serves as the starting point for unforgettable gastronomic experiences along the surrounding wine routes – where you may even encounter Her Majesty, the Maribor Wine Queen.
In the very center of Maribor spreads one of the largest and oldest traditional wine cellars in Europe, boasting an area of 15,000 m² and 2.1 km of underground tunnels. The oldest part of the cellar was built back in 1847. Wooden barrels, concrete cisterns, bottles with a patina of age … together they hold a capacity of 3 million liters! The cellar’s most precious treasure is its wine archive, and after exploring ‘Maribor’s underground’, an excellent wine tasting awaits. Will you dare to climb into the giant concrete barrel?
Meranovo is the cradle of modern Styrian viticulture.
It was here, on these renowned slopes, that in 1822 Archduke Johann, grandson of Empress Maria Theresa, planted noble varieties of grapevine. Today, the tradition continues on the picturesque foothills of Pohorje at the ‘Prince’s Hill’, where the Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences of the University of Maribor cultivates, nurtures, and markets quality and premium wines at the Meranovo Research Center for Viticulture and Enology. The center also safeguards a gene bank containing more than 400 different grape varieties.
On the outskirts of Maribor, at the Sončni Raj estate in Vodole, visitors of the Maribor Wine Route are welcomed by the first Wine Fountain in Styria. The Wine Fountain combines eight barrels of wine from local winemakers and two non-alcoholic homemade beverages, and a wine list featuring premium bottled wines is also available. With good drinks comes good food: boiled smoked pork knuckles, as well as cold-cut platters in meat, vegetarian, and vegan varieties (available on weekends or by prior order). On sunny days, food can even be delivered to the Wine Fountain’s terrace by air! In addition to the Wine Fountain, the Sončni Raj estate also offers a permaculture garden, herb plantations, an apiary, and the adrenaline-filled zipline experience called the ‘Bee Flight’.
St. Martin’s Festival in Maribor
St. Martin’s Festival in Maribor is the largest public St. Martin’s Day celebration in Slovenia, attracting around 20,000 visitors from both Slovenia and abroad.
At 11 hours and 11 minutes, the Malecnik wine confraternity, the Maribor Wine Queen, the Master of the Old Vine, and the Mayor of Maribor parade through the city center. Festive St. Martin’s feasts and wine tastings are also hosted by local providers along the surrounding wine routes.
