The harvesting and pressing of grapes from the vine descendant of the Old vine in Maribor took place in front of the Paris Wine Museum.

Around one hundred invitees from specialized international and French wine circles, as well as diplomats, members of the Slovene community in France, representatives from the Municipality of Maribor and the Wine Convent of St. Urban from Maribor, all attended Friday's ceremony in front of the Wine Museum in Paris. The harvest was followed by a treat of Slovene delicacies and Slovene wine.

The Slovenian Embassy in Paris wrote today, that while addressing the crowd, Slovenia's Ambassador to France, Veronika Stabej, emphasised the symbolic value of the vine, which represents the growth of the ever more rich and intensive French-Slovene relationships.

Maribor delivered the descendant of the Old vine to the head of the Wine Museum in Paris, Claude Josse in 2003. Mr. Josse is also the founder and long-term president of the Conseil des Echansons de France. The descendant of the Old vine was planted in front of the Wine Museum in Paris in 2006.

This year the Old vine descendant in Paris produced 21 pretty grape clusters. This was the first time for the grapes to be pressed. The winemaking and bottling process will take place in Suresnes, Mont Valerien in the outskirts of Paris. Vines have been cultivated there since the 9th century. Today's annual production of 5000 bottles puts Clos du Pas Saint-Maurice among the biggest winegrowers in Paris and the wider area of the Ile-de-France region.

D. S.; translated by K. J.