8 Kolobrzeska, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Winemaking in Poland nowadays is experiencing its biggest growth in history. The number of vineyards is constantly growing (now official data states 330 in Poland) and their size is estimated for 563 hectares (source: Nasze Winnice ). The biggest amount of vineyards can be found in south-eastern regions of the country: Małopolskie and Podkarpackie. The ranking of voivodships based on the number of vineyards operating there opens with Małopolskie - 64, followed by Lubuskie and Dolnośląskie - 37 vineyards each, followed by Podkarpackie - 34 and Lubelskie - 33. The cradle of industrial grapevine cultivation, which has survived the longest in northern Europe, is Lubuskie region. The biggest area of vineyards in Poland is noted in Lubuskie, Małopolskie and Świętokrzyskie regions.
The sales of wines in Poland is constantly growing. The most popular are red dry wines and premium wines are becoming more and more popular. Polish specialty is the Solaris strain, which is commonly found in vineyards of all regions in Poland. In general due to the climate more resistant varieties of grapes are common, including: seyval blanc, hibernal, bianca, dawnka, johanniter for white wines and rondo, regent, marechal foch and leon millot for red.
With the development of vineyards enotourism also gains its momentum in Poland. More and more tourist friendly farms are opened and also a lot of enotourist routs are created. The longest and oldest such trail can be found in the western part of the country - Lubuski Wine and Honey Trail. The loop of the trail runs through extremely attractive natural areas - forests and lake districts with reservoirs full of fish, which can be tasted in one of the many local restaurants. On the trail, tourists can also visit museums with enotourism exhibitions such as: the Ethnographic Museum in Zielona Góra-Ochla, the Museum of the Lubuskie Region in Zielona Góra, the Lubuskie Museum in Gorzów Wielkopolski or the Piast Castle in Krosno Odrzańskie. The hotels and agritourism farms on the trail that cooperate with winemakers and beekeepers provide accommodation and tasty meals. It is good to arrive here in autumn for vintage and the biggest wine event in Poland “Vintage” in Zielona Góra (Polish: Winobranie). Małopolski Wine Trail gathers together 40 vineyards. Its flagship event is called Open Vineyards Days (Polish: Dni Otwarte Winnic) during which meetings in individual vineyards are organized and tourists and wine lovers have the opportunity to participate in tastings, lectures and workshops. Other popular Polish trails include: ENOTarnowskie; Karpathian Wine Trail (Polish: Karpacki Szlak Wina) it includes 20 vineyards from Poland and Slovakia; Sandomierski Wine Trail is located near Sandomierz town with over a dozen vineyards at 60 km trail; Roztoczański Wine Trail near Lublin in pristine Roztocze region and finally Lower Silesia Beer and Wine Trail. Often vineyards cooperate with local food producers creating combined offer of wine and local food tasting.
It is located in Kraków, a visit there is combined with a lecture and tasting of 5 wines in the enotourism pavilion at the foot of winery. The Srebrna Góra vineyard is situated at the foot of the Camaldolese monastery in Bielany district. It is one of the largest vineyards in Poland, picturesquely located in the Vistula valley. It covers an area of 28 ha and consists of two parts located in Bielany and in nearby Przegorzały. The southern and south-western slopes of 15-20 degrees in the area guarantee perfect sunshine, and the Wolski Forest is also a natural cover for the grapes. The Srebrna Góra vineyard refers to the history of Kraków's wine growing and monastery tradition of wine production dating back to the early 10th century. Wines are made in the historic utility rooms of the Camaldolese monastery and are produced in modern stainless steel tanks, some ripen in contact with acacia or oak wood. The best well known plants here include: Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Regent, and Seyval Blanc. A visit in this magnificent, full of tradition place is a real touristic treat.
The vineyard at Talerzyk is located in the village of Topolno, 33 kilometers from Bydgoszcz city. The vineyard refers to the history of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian grapevine cultivation dating back to the beginning of the 13th century and the monastery traditions of wine production. The most famous varieties grown on the vineyard are: Solaris, Bianca, Regent and Rondo, which are used to make white and red wines. For guests, the vineyard offers a walk around the plantation with the founder of the vineyard, which tells the story of the place and reveals the secrets of wine production. The walk is combined with tasting wines and regional cheese in a spacious gazebo on the top of the hill, with a beautiful view of the Vistula panorama. In case of bad weather, it is performed in a tasting room modeled on Scandinavian modern barns.
Summing up, Poland in recent years have become a bright spot at the enoturist map of Europe. Although it won’t become second France or Italy, it presents an interesting challenge for all wine lovers. Find out the beauty of Polish vineyards and try local specialties, while visiting the charming corners of Poland with ITS Poland DMC. Contact one of our professional group coordinators to plan your Polish adventure with the highest quality of tastes and scents.
Author: Agnieszka Szwedzińska
8.12.2020
