| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Today
Polls
RSS Feed Around the World13. 02. 11. - 12:00
Full-bodied leper wine a hit for ex-lovers
Disgruntled lovers are snapping up bottles of one of Europe's most
exclusive vintages to send to their ex-lovers on Valentine's Day - a secret
wine produced entirely by residents of the continent's last leper colony.
Hidden for years from the public eye by Romania's former communist regime, the
lepers of Tichilesti on the Danube Delta have continued an ancient tradition of
wine-making stretching back to the Middle Ages.
Now the St Lazarus Leper Wine - named after the patron saint of sufferers of
the disease - is being sold world-wide to raise funds for the community and its
remaining residents.
The wine was inspired by the late mayor of the colony Cristache Tatulea, who
inspired the villagers to become more self sufficient and reach out to the
world.
"When I arrived there were hundreds of lepers here and it was a desolate
place. There were ramshackle wooden huts with mud floors and nothing in the way
of any amenities.
"Together we built proper houses, raised crops to earn extra money for
luxuries and restoring the vineyards were a personal project of mine," he
explained in his last interview before his death.
Cristache often spent days in the field protecting the vines from birds before
leading the harvest of the sweet, red grapes that go to make up the full-bodied
wine.
Now the wine he produced is available on www.leperwine.com
after his friend David Rogers arranged for it to be sold through shippers in
Austria.
"We had often spoken jokingly about selling his wine around the world - it
was so good considering the little he had to work with," explained David.
"I want this to be a tribute to his name and to show his family and the
remaining lepers how much of an inspiration he was to everyone that met him,"
he added.
Although leprosy sufferers are now no longer forced to live in the colony, most
have been cut off from their old lives for decades.
Their property was seized under the Communist regime and lepers were even
forbidden to use money in case coins and notes they handled spread the disease.
Their old homes were sealed off, possessions burnt, and families and friends
told to forget them forever.
Even today there are no street signs leading to the community.
It’s not on any maps and most people who live more than a few miles away still
won’t be able to tell people how to find it because for decades Communist
officials denied its very existence, claiming leprosy was a capitalist
condition.
Whenever anyone was discovered suffering from leprosy they were seized by Securitatea – the feared secret police – and stripped of their property and
their rights.
Many were held in isolation wards where they were subjected to laboratory tests
like human guinea pigs.
Some had pieces of flesh cut away while others were injected with experimental
treatments under the pretence of treatment.
Eventually they all ended up at Tichilesti - originally a charitable community
founded in 1928 - where conditions were sub human for the exiles cut off from
all contact with family or friends.
"Many of the residents are now very old and the sale of Leper Wine will
help support their community and lifestyle and ensure that the tradition of
caring for each other continues at Tichilesti," said David.
Austrian Times
Tag cloud:
residents lovers disease colony Leper money leprosy human Tichilesti tradition proper sold sufferers friend wine Wine Cristache leper condition communist
Wolf babies born in Schönbrunn
These cuddly Artic wolf cubs have got every right to look a bit frosty - after they emerged into the world for the first time in the middle of a 27 degree heatwave.
Medics First Aid Lesson saves Boy
Austrian medics giving a first aid talk at a school managed to save an eight-year-old boy's life after he was shot in the head by his dad.
Salzburg Welcomes Home The Sound Of Music
Salzburg has finally been won over after a 45-year battle to ignore the musical that everywhere else in the world has an almost cult following.
Elsner saga back in court
A crooked fat-cat banker spotted partying after being released from jail because of heart problems is now back in the news after he was snapped sunning himself at a four-star wellness hotel and telling court officials he was too ill to continue with the trial.
Clem Chambers - Euro future in the balance
The future of the euro hangs in the balance and the G8 watched a football match. Incredible.
Shaina Sepulvado appeal for parole
Austrian Times reader Partick Capps has posted this appeal for pressure over the case of a girl sentenced to life without parole for a murder committed when she was 16.
Coalition accelerates anti-corruption ambitions
The government is intensifying its attempts to pass a transparency package in parliament.
Küng tackles Schüller group
Another top-tier representative of the Austrian Church has warned the Preachers’ Initiative from consequences.
BMW and Porsche seized by bold burglars
Crooks broke into a house and stole the keys to two valuable cars early Thursday morning while the residents were sleeping.
Pecik defends TA engagement
Telekom Austria (TA) investor Ronny Pecik has declared himself a team player.
The most popular stories –
last 7 days
|
Dune And Busted |
|
Swastika Shaped Austrian School Rebuilt |
|
Nazi still honoured in Austria |
|
20th Vienna Life Ball a fiery success! |
|
Thieves caught trying to nick F**king Sign |
Tom Bradley wrote on 15. 12. 2011 from United Kingdom about "Full-bodied leper wine a ..."
I would very much like to visit here - can you please put me in touch with David Rogers - info@leperwine.com no longer works it seems.
Reply