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Saint Martin…… is the patron saint of soldiers, horses, riders, geese and wine makers. He is most frequently depicted on a horse with half a cape and a beggar … St. Martin – one of the most popular saints of the autumn since time immemorial. 

 

In the Czech Republic, his name is linked with the folk adage of “St. Martin arrives on a white horse”. Even small children know that white horse actually means the first snow. It is true that he sometimes comes a little earlier than 11 November. But a good housewife will roast a St. Martin’s goose on this day as well as baking St. Martin’s buns – this is an inherent part of St. Martin’s Day.

Another tradition which is linked to this day is the celebration of young wine. The first bottle of the new vintage is no doubt opened every year on 11 November at precisely 11 am in every wine bar and restaurant in the Czech Republic – the so-called “young wine”. This is where the name comes from.

The St. Martin’s tradition is a sort of equivalent of the French celebrations for Beaujolais nouveau.

The Czech ritual is however significantly older. These celebrations date back to the times of Emperor Josef II. It was on precisely this day that people were able to start pouring young wine from the autumn harvest. This marked the end of the harvest and it was a truly pleasant culmination of the agricultural year. Among other things, this report constituted notification that winter was slowly starting….

And one piece of good advice with regards to wines at the end: St. Martin’s wines are usually already launched onto the market a few weeks after the harvest and are intended to be drunk quickly. Wine makers themselves recommend that the wine be drunk by the spring. But the wine does not spoil even after that, it only loses its freshness.