Vincekovo in Sveti Ivan Zelina this weekend
January and winter may be a time of hibernating and staying indoors, keeping away from the cold. But it’s also a month of savouring wine – yes, really! The end of January brings St Vincent’s Day (Vincekovo in Croatian), which marks the start of a new wine-growing year. Officially, St Vincent’s Day is today – 22nd January – but celebrations usually take place on the nearest weekend. This is certainly the case in the central Croatian town of Sveti Ivan Zelina (around 40 kilometres northeast of Zagreb), which will mark Vincekovo on Sunday, 25th January 2026.
What happens on Vincekovo?
A very traditional event, Vincekovo starts with a holy mass in the morning, during which prayers are given to St Vincent to ask for an abundant wine growing season, as well as asking for protection of the vineyards against poor weather (frost, hail), pests, disease and similar.
The vineyards themselves are then visited to be blessed. A drop of good wine is poured on the vines, and they are then adorned with homemade sausages. These actions symbolise gratitude and hope for a good year ahead.
A small cutting of the vines is also performed, with this taken home and placed in water. In a few weeks’ time, the cuttings should show how the vines have fared over the winter, and whether a good harvest will be had later on in the year.
In Sveti Ivan Zelina, mass will be held a 11am at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (Kapeli Svetog Duha) before a visit to the vineyards at 12pm. After this, you can enjoy a glass of warming mulled wine and some delicious sausages from the local region, charmed by singing from the Hrvatsko pjevačko društvo Zelina (Croatian Singing Society Zelina).
The history of wine and Sveti Ivan Zelina
The town has a long tradition of winemaking and cultivating vineyards. The parish priest of Donja Zelina, Dragutin Strazimir, wrote the first modern book on viticulture in Croatia. He also educated and encouraged the local population on wine production, not just to produce, but to strive to achieve the best quality – even to exhibit their wines. Strazimir organised numerous wine exhibitions during his life, and his legacy lives on in the number of wine exhibitions still held in Sveti Ivan Zelina today.
More info
This year’s Vincekovo event is being hosted by the Association of Winemakers and Winegrowers Brin from Kalinje, as well as the Town of Sveti Ivan Zelina and Sveti Ivan Zelina Tourist Board. As they say, “come, enjoy the charms of the wine-growing tradition and start the new year in good company!“
