Styria has always been known for its good beekeepers.
In addition to the itinerant teacher and beekeeping writer
Ivan Jurančič, the professional beekeeper and inventor
Franc Kirar, the school principal Peter Močnik, as well
as the founder of modern European apitherapy, physician, and beekeeper Filip Terč, all worked in Styria. The town of Apače near
Ptuj is
the present home of Slovenia’s most prominent beekeeper, Janko Pislak. In
addition, Maribor beekeepers are the most skilled at producing various
beverages, such as mead, honey liqueur, and honey brandy. Their
most popular new product is honey sparkling wine. Each year, a national
mead competition is organized at Betnava near Maribor, attended by numerous beekeepers and connoisseurs of these drinks. |
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The green, hilly winegrowing region in the foothills of the Pohorje Massif
is rich in traditional customs, and ethnological and cultural
heritage, and it is well-known for its hills covered with
grapevines extending all the way to the towns, and the open arms and smiling faces of the friendly Styrian people.
SPARKLING HONEY WINE: produced from highquality mead using
the traditional method for making sparkling wines. The
characteristics of this sparkling
wine are the same as those of basic mead with one exception
– the sparkling wine is enriched by
a secondary alcoholic fermentation and aging in a sealed
bottle. Its characteristic mead-like bouquet,
refreshing taste, and the playful sparkling of tiny bubbles render this wine one of the highest-quality
honey drinks.
It contains 10.5 to 15% alcohol. It was
first produced and sold in 2005 in Slovenia and is a
new product on the international market as well.
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BEEKEEPERS POINTS OF INTEREST
* The Maribor Beekeeping Center next to the famous
Baroque Castle of Betnava. Here you can buy bee products
and taste various honey drinks, including
their specialty: sparkling honey wine;
* The Pohorje Courts (Pohorski dvor) estate in Pivola,
known for its luxurious botanical garden, which contains
many nectar-bearing plant species. Beekeepers have
built a queen-breeding station nearby;
* Filip Terč’s grave at the Maribor cemetery;
* The Beekeepers’ Lodge in Lovrenc na Pohorju;
* The Pislak Bee Farm in the town of Apače near Ptuj.
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HIGHLY RECOMENDED
Maribor: the capital of Styria and
the region’s university, cultural, and economic center.
A walk in the town center offers many sights. You can
stop at the cathedral and continue past the town hall,
the synagogue, and the Jewish Square, all down to the
town’s oldest quarter, called Lent, where the world’s oldest grapevine
(400 years and counting) grows. There is an interesting exhibition
titled “Wine and the Grapevine through Time” at the Old
Vine House, where you can taste and buy wines produced by
recognized winegrowers.
Ptuj: the oldest Slovenian town below
the magnificent medieval castle, which houses fascinating
collections of old instruments, furniture, weapons, paintings
of Ottoman luxury, and traditional carnival costumes (including
the Kurent figure). This town of Kurents and other original
customs is also well-known for its Roman Mithraic temples,
the oldest Slovenian wine cellar, and the famous pilgrimage
church in the nearby village of Ptujska Gora. You can visit the castle or the wine cellar, which offers a multimedia
presentation and invites you to taste high-quality wines. |
