Love, Wine

While the whole world celebrates St. Valentine's Day, tomorrow my husband and I will raise our glasses to the patron saint and protector of wine: St. Trifun.

St Trifun (sounds similar to St. Tree-foon) is a Christian Orthodox saint very popular in my old country of Macedonia. Each February, usually on the 14th, Macedonian winemakers go to their vineyards to prune the vines and hope for a good year.

On St. Trifun's Day, everybody drinks wine, usually red, and also rakija - a type of brandy made from grapes - a potent stuff, golden yellow and known for terrible hangovers, but fabulous when accompanied with feta cheese and red ripe tomatoes.

Both of my uncles on my mother's side used to make wine, and I remember that as a girl the whole family would gather at their vineyards to help in the pruning. We would all be there at grape-picking time in September, too. ...And together once the first batch of wine (usually shiraz) was ready too :)
Ah, the festivities ...

So, cheers to love and cheers to wine!!




Wine Bottle Hurricanes from johnnyrich10 on Etsy: