Castles, chateaux, and vineyards

Znojmo wine-growing region

The historic town of Znojmo and the entire Znojmo Region can be found in southwest Moravia. If you decide to come here, you won‘t have to search for a combination of wine and history for very time. Directly in Znojmo stands a castle rebuilt into a chateau. Znojmo is a historical and wine-growing town, so such a building is no big surprise and the possibility to have good wine in the area is a matter of course. At the same time, on a hill in the centre of Znojmo, you will find one of the oldest Czech monuments still standing—the Romanesque rotunda of St. Catherine from the 11th century. Just a few tens of metres away, still within the castle complex, there is the Enotéka of Znojmo wines. In the entrance area, there is a café and wine bar, and beyond are rooms where it is possible to taste wines from the Znojmo wine-growing region, completely independently by yourself. All you have to do is top up your tasting card and then choose a specific wine to taste at the vending machine. It is the largest tasting room with a by-the-glass system in the Czech Republic. You can also walk out of the tasting hall with glass in hand and sit outside on the terrace to enjoy the beauties of the historic town.

Mikulov wine sub-region

South Moravia is dominated among all towns by the once proud seat of the Dietrichstein princely family, the town of Mikulov. The surrounding area of Mikulov offer several places where you can devote your time to wine in the impressive setting of historic castles and chateaux. Of course, the Mikulov Chateau, rising on a hill above the town of Mikulov, is among these. Another is the unique complex of the nearby Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape area with the Valtice Chateau and its Wine Salon. In the cellars of the Chateau, there is a tasting stand with exactly one hundred of the best Moravian and Czech wines of the given year, which were selected as part of the National Wine Competition. So right after your tour of the picturesque chateau, all you have to do is go down to the cellar and decide which wine you would like to taste first.

Slovácko wine-growing region

Slovácko, a distinctive region of eastern Moravia, also has its chateau set in a wine-growing area. In the centre of the town of Bzenec stands a large chateau. It is currently not open to the public, but you can walk through the castle park. The historic chateau cellars have already been renovated and the wine here is produced by the Zámecké Vinařství Bzenec Winery. By prior arrangement, however, it is possible to tour the cellars with a wine tasting. And even if our next recommendation does not take place in a castle or Chateau, do try to go to the nearby Strážnice. And not just for the wine—there are wine cellars on almost every corner—but also for the Strážnice Open-Air Museum. You will get acquainted with life in the castle grounds, since the Museum of the Villages of South-east Moravia provides a peek at what life was like in the countryside.

Mělník wine-growing sub-region

The last tip for combining knowledge of history and wine is located for a change in Central Czechia, in the town of Mělník, which is known as Czechia’s wine-growing centre. The town lies at the confluence of the Elbe and Vltava rivers, which shaped the landscape in such a way that the grapevines thrive wonderfully here. At the Chateau, you can then see the wine cellars, walk through a small wine exhibition and, of course, taste the Mělník wines. Although the Mělník wine sub-region is the second smallest in the whole of the Czech Republic, the wines here are definitely worth it.