But the official decree had little impact. During the vinobrani festivities, south Moravians, renowned for their relaxed pace of life and warm hospitality, throw open their wine cellars to neighboring provinces as well as to visitors from around Europe. Unlike fine aged wines, burcak is meant to be drunk almost immediately, as it goes sour after about four hours. The short shelf life and the need to throw one's glass back quickly help explain the sense of carpe diem that pervades the vinobrani celebration. Though burcak is the focus of the festival, there is more to the celebration than drinking.
Old friends catch up, taste the young wine and enjoy taking part in the traditions of the event.
These traditions include the dulcimer music that echoes through the narrow Mikulov streets during the festival. He adds with a smile that the pace of the singing and dancing noticeably picks up as the day progresses and the burcak imbibing increases. The Valtice celebration, organized by school officials, is free of charge, but the larger Mikulov and Znojmo festivals are organized by local firms and charge an admission fee. Znojmo, the last of the three festivals, is centered around the simple joys of sipping burcak among friends and enjoying the musical traditions. Most celebrants simply stroll around the streets, refilling their glasses at various burcak booths around town.