Maribor gave the Dons a very special gift after their Europa League qualifier.

Pittodrie chief executive Duncan Fraser happily accepted a bottle of wine created from the oldest vine in the world.

The specially-designed bottles of modra kavcina, or ‘velvety black’, are at the mayor of Maribor’s disposal and used mainly for protocol.

A certificate with a serial number and the vintage year accompanies each bottle.

The copy of the issued certificate, with the name of the recipient, is kept in the city archives.

Previous recipients of the gift include the Queen, Pope John Paul, the Emperor of Japan and former US President Bill Clinton.

The Dons are the first visiting football club to be given a bottle.

“We are overwhelmed by the kindness shown to us by Maribor,” said Fraser.

“The bottle will now take pride of place at Pittodrie.”

Slovenia is a wine-growing country, producing red and white wines with a history that can be traced back to the Romans.

The documents of the Benedictine Monastery from St Paul in Carinthia dating back to 1091, are the first evidence of wine growing in the area.

The Old Vine is also a popular tourist attraction in Maribor.

Planted in the centre of the two-storey building is a grapevine reputed to be more than 400 years old.

The wine in the bottle given to the Dons came from that vine.

Maribor presented it to them as a token of their gratitude for the support the Dons gave them in the wake of the tragic deaths of two of their young players.

B-team squad members Damjan Marjanovic and Zoran Baljak were killed in a car crash after training last week.