🍷 St. Martin's Day new wine

St. Martin's Day new wine is a feast on 11 November, when it is customary in Central Europe to taste the new wine. St Martin's Day is celebrated on 11 November. In many countries of Central Europe the first young wine of the new harvest is tied to this date. It is opened and tasted in families, taverns and at festivals.

The custom belongs to autumn: by November the grapes were picked long ago, the juice has fermented and the wine can be drunk. The festival falls at the end of the farming year, and in folk tradition it is a kind of harvest festival. It looks different in different countries: in some places people walk with lanterns, in others they gather at a table.

Young wine is light, fresh and not meant for long storage. It is usually drunk in the first months after harvest. St Martin's Day reminds us that wine is not only a drink but part of the calendar, tied to work on the land. As with any alcohol, moderation matters. The festival belongs to the topic of harvest festivals.