vineyards of Peljesac

Friday afternoon was our last class field trip. We loaded up into the vans at 9am and headed towards Ston and Peljesac (pela-sheck). After about an hour and a half, we arrived in Ston, only to glance upwards at the stone walkway and walls that loomed above us. It was hot.. it was sunny.. we were tired. Thankfully, Jackie decided not to make the journey up the hill so we enjoyed coffee in one of the cafes while we waited for rest of the group. I'm not ashamed to say I was relieved... I wish I could have done this trip 20 years ago! :)

There were shops, cafes and a fresh market nearby, as well as an abandoned church that was fenced in. I was able to get slip between some of the wooden slats to get a picture. There are also salt beds in this town where they mine salt, with small carts on rails to transport the carts.

Onward to the vineyards of Peljesac. We arrived at the vineyard and the vans parked and let us off near a long dark tunnel. It was actually quite pleasant, as it was cool inside, but I couldn't help hearing "Hi Ho, Hi Ho" in my head as we walked through. On the other side we came to a road and turned left and headed downhill. As with most of this area, one side was mountains and hills and the other, the sea.

Here, the grapes grow on the hills without trellises and they are grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals. The soil from the mountains and the sea below are sufficient in nutrients to grow the grapes. When they have to be harvested, workers attach themselves to the hillside and rappel down the mountain to pick the grapes; there are no tiers or footholds to stand on. In this region they also have a tradition during the harvest. Because there are so many vineyards and each family only has the means to harvest a portion of their crops, every family comes together to help each other pick the grapes and get them delivered for processing. Even if families have been arguing with each other through the year, they set aside their differences for the harvest and help each other out; the tradition is called "ponce" or "pride".

After our hike we were served lunch at the vineyard restaurant, a 500-year old dwelling with a 200-year old winepress (where they disquised the stereo/sound system inside). The fare was traditional: lentil soup, bread, anchovies with capers and lemon juice, prosciutto, cheeses and the best grilled vegetables ever. Of course, this was accompanied by wine-tasting; white, red, rose, deep red and a sweet dessert wine. The dessert wine was the most expensive, as they usually use 1 1/2 kgs. of grapes for a bottle of wine, they use 16-18 kgs. of grapes for the dessert wine.

Tired, hot but well fed and watered, we made our way home, again singing (even Professor Stasa joined us on the chorus of "American Pie") as we traveled the coast. Our hosts for all our trips have been wonderful, the meals were marvelous and the education, unparalleled.

Until next post.. mir.. annette