On November 11 in Slovenia we celebrate St. Martin’s Day, a patron saint who, according to legend, turned water into wine. To honour this holiday, many ritual celebrations take place every year during the week surrounding St. Martin’s Day. The holiday is celebrated throughout Slovenia, in towns and villages alike.
80 to 100 million litres of wine are produced annually in Slovenia, on a global scale an inconsiderable number, however, Slovenian wines are special and known for their quality and taste. Almost 70% of Slovenian wines fulfil the criteria for quality and premium wines, which is definitely a result of a highly-developed wine culture and demanding wine lovers. Considering that a significant share of the production of Slovenian wines is represented by small wine-makers who use their wines for themselves and their loved ones, the market offers quite a quality selection.
One of the best places to visit this weekend is a little Slovenian town called Jeruzalem. With its holy name, energetic vibes, wine road with top white wines, exquisite viewpoints and pilgrimage churches has every right to be named a place of heaven. Already the crusaders, who stopped here on their way to the today’s Israeli Jerusalem in the 13th century, were enchanted by the beauty of the countryside and excellent wines.
It is a part of Prlekija which is situated in the north-eastern Slovenia and borders Austria on the north Croatia on the south. It is a country of rich cuisine, top wines, curvy terrace hills, melodious rattles (klopotec) as well as of rich cultural, natural and ethnologic heritage, thermal springs, spas and trotter horses.
Along the Jeruzalem Wine Route, there are many small wineries and wine cellars, some of them are centuries old, where you can stop and enjoy some of the best white wines in Slovenia. Thanks to the great diversity of varieties of white wine in this area, as well as different levels of quality and taste we can speak of a true symphony of whites. The wine lovers will be able to choose from the Šipon, Laški Rizling, Renski Rizling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Beli Pinot, Sivi Pinot, Modri Pinot, Traminec, Rumeni Muškat, Muškat Otonel, Rizvanec, Kerner, and Ranina wines.
Tourist farms, wine cellars, wine growers and artisans invite people to visit throughout the year. Some interesting points on the Jeruzalem Wine Route:
JERUZALEM – church Our Lady of Sorrows, Jeruzalem Mansion, Wine shop Jeruzalem,
SVETINJE – Wine shop Svetinjska klet, wine house Malek,
ŽELEZNE DVERI- tourist farm Belec, wine house Dveri – Pax,
SLAMNJAK – tourist farm Frank – Ozmec,
KOG – winery Čurin,
LJUTOMER – capital of Prlekija region, famous for horse breeding and trotter racers.
Source: slovenia.info