Culinary Heritage Joins A Taste of Place Study Tour in Eastern Slovenia

Every year, Culinary Heritage arranges or takes part in study trips that bring people together around local food culture, regional identity, entrepreneurship and authentic culinary experiences. These journeys are an important part of how we exchange knowledge across borders, discover new approaches and strengthen cooperation between regions, businesses and organisations working with food, tourism and cultural heritage.

After the highly appreciated Culinary Heritage Study Tour in Thy-Mors-Salling in Denmark, where participants explored Limfjord oysters, mussels, whisky, local breweries, National Park Thy and a memorable cook-along with Michelin chef Nicholas Min Jørgensen, we are now looking forward to continuing the journey in a new destination.

This year, Culinary Heritage will join A Taste of Place in Eastern Slovenia, a professional study tour arranged by Taste of Place and the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), in collaboration with the Culinary Heritage Network. It is a welcome opportunity to strengthen the relationship between our organisations and to create a valuable exchange of ideas, experiences and inspiration around food travel, culinary storytelling and regional food identity.

From Thy-Mors to Eastern Slovenia

The study tour in Thy-Mors-Salling showed once again how powerful it can be to meet producers, chefs, farmers and local hosts directly in their own environments. Long days filled with visits passed quickly in good company, and the programme demonstrated the value of combining food, landscape, local stories and practical learning.

The cook-along at Morsø Landbrugsskole became a perfect example of what a study tour can create: participants who did not all know each other before were brought together in the kitchen, preparing a dinner from products collected during the day. Oysters, mussels, fresh fish, greens and local drinks became not only ingredients, but starting points for conversations, laughter and new professional connections.

That same spirit now carries us forward to Slovenia.

A Taste of Place in Eastern Slovenia

Slovenia sits at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Alpine and Pannonian worlds, and has quietly become one of Europe’s most exciting culinary countries. Despite its small size, the country offers remarkable diversity, with 24 culinary regions and three wine regions within just 20,000 km².

The tour will take participants eastwards, into the greener and more agricultural heart of the country, with Maribor and the surrounding wine hills as the main base. The timing in late October is especially suitable, as the vineyards will have just finished the harvest season, creating the perfect setting for visits to wine landscapes, family farms, markets and food producers.

The programme begins in Ljubljana with a guided walk through the old town and a welcome dinner at Jaz by Ana Roš, the Ljubljana bistro of Slovenia’s most internationally recognised chef. From there, the group continues to Maribor, where the river Drava, the old town, markets and surrounding hills form the setting for the following days.

Wine Hills, Markets and Family Farms

One of the tour’s central themes is the connection between landscape, agriculture and taste. Participants will explore the wine hills around Maribor and Slovenske gorice, enjoy vineyard lunches, meet growers and taste wines in historic surroundings.

The programme includes a visit to Vineyard Cottage Malek, a 350-year-old vineyard cottage with a baroque chapel, old wine press and vaulted cellar. It also includes a scenic vineyard lunch at Taverna Jeruzalem, located above one of Slovenia’s most beautiful wine roads.

The group will also experience Maribor’s market culture and the famous Stara trta, the world’s oldest living grapevine, still growing in the city and deeply connected to local wine identity.

Another highlight is the visit to Firbas agritourism, a family farm in Cerkvenjak with more than 20 years of experience in welcoming guests. Here, the focus will be on farm hospitality, homemade food and the kind of rural experience that shows how food tourism can support small places and family businesses.

Ptuj, Traditions and Slovenian Food Heritage

The tour also brings participants to Ptuj, Slovenia’s oldest town, known for its castle, cobbled streets and wine-cellar heritage. This adds a strong cultural layer to the culinary programme and gives participants a deeper understanding of the historical context behind the region’s food and hospitality traditions.

Traditional tastes will be explored further through a hands-on gibanica workshop in Sveta Ana. Gibanica, a layered cake made with ingredients such as walnuts, poppy seeds, apples and cottage cheese, is one of the protected traditional dishes of the Slovene Hills. This kind of practical workshop fits very well with the Culinary Heritage approach: learning through taste, technique and direct participation.

The programme also includes a beekeeper’s visit at Čebelarstvo Žvikart, where participants will gain insight into Slovenia’s strong beekeeping culture. Slovenia is known for its bee heritage, and the visit connects food, biodiversity, farming and cultural identity in a very concrete way.

The final full programme day closes with a farm tour and a historical “medieval” dinner at Pri Baronu, an organic farm where the HERITERRA dinner concept reconstructs the ancestral table from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages, guided by local archaeology.

A Professional Exchange Between Organisations

For Culinary Heritage, joining this study tour is not only about discovering a new destination. It is also about professional exchange.

Taste of Place and WFTA bring strong experience in food travel and destination storytelling, while Culinary Heritage contributes a long-standing perspective on regional culinary identity, certification, local sourcing and heritage-based business development. By joining forces in Slovenia, the tour becomes a platform for shared learning and new ideas between organisations, entrepreneurs, producers and destination professionals.

Study tours like this create space for conversations that rarely happen in ordinary meetings. Around a market table, in a wine cellar, on a farm or during a long lunch, participants can exchange practical knowledge about how local food can strengthen destinations, support small businesses and preserve traditions while still allowing room for innovation.

Limited Group and Shared Learning

The tour is limited to 20 guests, which allows for a more personal and meaningful experience. The format includes meals, tastings, producer visits, guided walks in Ljubljana and Maribor, local transfers and the presence of a local ambassador throughout the journey. Accommodation is booked separately, giving participants flexibility to choose the comfort level and budget that suits them.

For Culinary Heritage members and partners, this is an opportunity to experience Slovenia through the lens of food, people and place - and to bring back ideas that can inspire their own regions and businesses.

After the memorable journey in Thy-Mors-Salling, we are delighted to continue the study tour tradition in Eastern Slovenia. We look forward to new meetings, new flavours and new perspectives on how culinary heritage can be experienced, protected and shared across Europe.

Practical Information - A Taste of Place in Eastern Slovenia

Dates: 22–26 October 2026

Location: Ljubljana & Maribor, Slovenia

Organised by: Taste of Place and the World Food Travel Association, in collaboration with the Culinary Heritage Network

Group size: Limited to 20 guests

Tour fee: €750 per person, excluding accommodation and travel to/from Slovenia

Included: Meals, tastings, producer visits, guided walks in Ljubljana and Maribor, local transfers and in-tour group transport

Accommodation: Booked separately by each participant. Hotel recommendations and group-rate information will be provided.

Registration / RSVP: help@worldfoodtravel.org

Taste of Place - Slovenia Study Tour Brochure.pdf

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