The oldest vine in the world is in Slovenia! It is located in Maribor and is the very symbol of this city.
We are located in the Slovenian Styria region, north-east of the country, where the production of wine and honey is flourishing.
Stara-Trta is therefore the longest-lived specimen of Vitis Vinifera Sativa in the world, at least as it has been certified in the Guinness World Book of records since 2004 ( translated: stara, old – trta, vineyard ). This vine is said to be at least 400 years old! The age of the plant was determined by means of careful genetic tests, in support of which there is also a painting located in one of the museums in Graz - dated between 1657 and 1681 - where Stara-Trta can clearly be seen climbing gracefully on the facade of building number 8 on Vojašniška ulica in Maribor.
The ancient vine was planted at the end of the Middle Ages when Maribor was besieged by the Turks . It survived the fierce fighting between the invaders and defenders of the city as today's House of the Ancient Vine was once part of the city walls. The plant also resisted the frequent fires which were particularly frequent in the Middle Ages due to the wooden ceilings and thatched roofs. Not even the phylloxera which killed most of the other vines, nor the Allied bombing of the city which partially destroyed the House of 'Ancient Vine, as the tenacious plant managed to survive.
Stara - Trta wears her years in a big way anyway! It still produces annually between 35 and 60 kg of a variety of red grape called Modra Kavčina which gives a wine known by the imaginative name of “ Old Vine ”.
The very few bottles produced, whose design was specially created by the Slovenian artist Oskar Kogoj , are given as souvenirs by the Mayor of Maribor to notable people visiting the city.
In any case, if you had the opportunity to visit Maribor and admire this centuries-old beauty, you could also take a tour inside the small explanatory museum of the history of Stara-Trta and the traditional winemaking culture of Slovenia (it is located right inside the building where the vine climbs). To complete the tour, a trip to the adjacent wine shop to taste the wines of the area and beyond!
Cheers!