A gnarled piece of wood may not sound like the most thrilling of tourist attractions. But this isn’t just any piece of wood: it is the oldest grapevine on Earth, as certified by Guinness World Records. At about 450 years old, the Old Vine has survived war, fire and pestilence, and still produces fat bunches of red Žametovka grapes (most vines slow down at the tender age of 40). Bottles of the Old Vine’s precious wine – which is admittedly undrinkable – have been presented to popes, presidents, emperors … and Brad Pitt.

The Old Vine

The vine is the jewel in the crown of Maribor, Slovenia’s wine-loving second city, in the north-east of the country, which can now be reached by direct flights from Southend with Adria Airways. In Maribor, 11 November isn’t Remembrance Day but St Martin’s Day, a drunken party to mark the end of the Old Vine festival and honour the saint who turned grape juice into wine. Anton Martin Slomšek, who became the city’s first bishop in 1846, is also well-known for writing a popular drinking song. The city has two statues of Bacchus, the god of wine; Slovenes joke that visitors can get drunk just breathing the air here.

The Old Vine Museum (Vojašniška 8) offers tastings (from €4) of Slovenian grape varieties, such as crisp, herbaceous zelen, and pinot gris, gewürztraminer and muscat. I tried sweet ice wine, made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. There are also tastings at Vinag, one of the biggest cellars in Europe: it holds 5½ million litres of wine in 2½km of tunnels under the city’s Trg Svobode (Freedom Square), including a riesling made during the second world war.

Two good wine bars are ultra-modern Rozmarin (Gosposka 8), and Luft (Vita Kraigherja 3), a smart space with great views on the top floor of the Communist-era Slavija hotel (now offices). Both serve a delicate šipon white made by Benedictine monks at their Dveri Pax winery a few miles north of the city. On the banks of the Drava, the 16th-century Water Tower (Usnjarska 10) is now a romantic wine bar with live jazz and passing swans.

Maribor on the banks of the Drava

Maribor is also a great base for exploring the Drava Valley vineyards, perhaps on an electric bike hired from KULeBIKE, which has downloadable routes and free transfers from the city.

But there is more to Maribor than wine – it has great beer, too. Postna, a street near the university, has a cluster of lively bars: Isabella (no 3) serves Bevog pale ale and oatmeal stout made by a Slovene in a microbrewery just over the Austrian border. The Living Room on Glavni Square, one of the three main squares, serves guest ales from breweries such as Reservoir Dogs in western Slovenia. Udarnik Cafe on Grajski Square is a great circular space in a 1930s cinema, with film quotes on the wall and seriously cheap beer.

Udarnik Cafe

Slovenian cuisine is an interesting mix of Balkan and Mediterranean. Gostilna Pri treh Ribnikih (+386 2 23 44 170, Ribniška 9) is Maribor’s oldest restaurant (established 1825), in a park north of the centre. I had wild garlic soup, zander fillets with polenta and asparagus, and a yoghurt parfait. Štajerc (+386 2 234 42 34, Vetrinjska 30), in the old town, does Slovenian specialities such as stuffed squid, washed down with the restaurant’s startlingly green beer.

Architecturally, Maribor is a mixed bag, too: those expecting a little Ljubljana will be disappointed. It was badly bombed during the second world war, and President Tito’s reconstruction will not be universally admired. But there is plenty left to enjoy: the 15th-century castle, the even older cathedral, the Renaissance town hall, the synagogue. Maribor hit hard times after the breakup of Yugoslavia, and again in the 2008 financial crisis, and unemployment is still high. After a huge shopping centre opened on the edge of town in 2000, many city centre shops went out of business.

Things are improving, though. Farm shops such as Zadruga Dobrina Trgovina, on narrow Tkalski prehod, sell local food and wine, and nearby at Gosposka 7, Art Mar sells contemporary Slovenian arts and crafts. The Salon of Applied Arts on Glavni Square is a symbol of this regeneration: formerly a grand cafe, it became a casino, then went bust. Now it is a beautifully restored cafe-bar that hosts gigs and sells work by local designers.

Contemporary crafts at Art Mar

Maribor was European capital of culture in 2012 and is home to Slovenia’s biggest festival, Lent (26 June-11 July), which has nothing to do with Easter, and the Slovene National Theatre, where I caught an experimental production of Dracula: lots of nudity, swearing and politics but a conspicuous lack of vampires.

The city’s hotels haven’t kept pace with its cuisine and culture, however. Those in the centre tend to be business-focused, and there are “luxury” (but very dated) options near the Pohorje ski area. The closest thing to a boutique is Hotel City (doubles from €80 B&B), built in 2011, which has 66 modern rooms and a top-floor bar/restaurant serving seasonal menus – in June, the focus is on porcini and chanterelle mushrooms.

Tourist farm Stern Pri Kovacniku

Another option is a farm stay. At Tourist Farm Stern Pri Kovacniku (doubles €72) near Fram, a 30-minute drive south, host Barbara showed me around the rolling acres, and introduced me to a two-day-old calf. Breakfast was a lavish spread, including home-cured ham and a tarragon and strawberry cake. There was lots more homegrown food at dinner – pearled spelt with wild garlic pesto was a revelation – plus three local wines to wash it all down. None was particularly old – and all were definitely drinkable.

• Flights were provided by Adria Airways, which flies from Southend to Maribor from €139 return. Airport transfers were provided by GoOpti.si, and car hire by Europcar.si. Accommodation was provided by the Slovenian tourist board and the Maribor tourist board