We have found the first red cherries in Šempeter near Gorica. The tree is full and the branches are bending under the weight of light red fruit - but cherries are not yet of the right size, and not very sweet either. But the first cherries are the most longed-for, and most passers-by reach for the fruit. The owner does not mind - he knows well the lure of the first cherries. And since a good harvest is expected, soon there will be enough fat cherries for everybody.

The first Week of Cherries in the middle of May
Cherries ripen through seven Cherry Weeks; according to fruit growers this year the first Cherry Week will be organized in May, later than in previous years. The reason - the last cold spell in April, which stopped the ripening of cherries, the first fruit of the season. A good harvest is expected, but of course everything depends on the weather. The first to ripen will be cherries of burlat species, and these are quite plentiful. The other species which bloom later were affected by draught, as this year the month of March was dry. Luckily this year cherry trees were not subjected to diseases, only the winter moth, a parasitic fly, caused some damage to trees. The fruit growers are powerless against that parasite of cherry trees, as there is no registered destroyer in Slovenia.
The price has not been set
This year's price for cherries from the Vipava valley and Brda has not been set yet. Imported cherries can be bought in our stores - not memorable for their sweetness, but for high price.