Saint Urban opens the wine cellars

The 15th annual edition of the traditional opening of the cellars on St. Urban, combined with the opening of the season on the Little Carpathian Wine Route, will offer wines in 121 cellars from Devín through Rača, Vajnory, Svätý Jur, Pezinok, Modra, Šenkvice to Doľany. Open cellars can be visited in 20 villages and towns of Little Carpathian region. Even those who “go to cellars” year after year still have a lot to discover. Several cellars are open yearly, many of them with centuries of history.

The wines, which you tasted in the autumn like still young ones at the time of their production, are already prepared to be tasted and their potential is waiting in the bottle. Many of them have awards from the currently ongoing spring wine exhibitions, of which there are a few in Slovakia even during one weekend. It is at the opening of the cellars in May that the Winemaker of the Year on the Little Carpathian Wine Route is proclaimed, so you can taste the winning wines directly at him. And what are the criteria for receiving this well-deserved and proud award? The winemaker must take part in at least 6 nominative exhibitions at the National Collection of Wine, offer at least 5 samples and 3 of them must receive the highest number of points.

During two days you will meet winemakers who are proud that their wines made from the grapes of the Little Carpathian vineyards taste not only in their homeland, but also worldwide, as evidenced by the growing reports of award-winning wines from exhibitions that have crossed the borders of Europe. It can be said openly that the wines of Little Carpathian winemakers receive the attribute of world wine. You have a unique opportunity to taste them from the producer in their home background and often in the cellar, which grew on to the heart of the winemaker, but also in the modern winery, which will enchant you not only with great wines, but also with exceptional architecture.

With the respective ticket you can taste wines from the Little Carpathian wine producers in more than 100 cellars from Bratislava’s Devín to villages in Trnava surroundings. You will not buy the experience of these two days in any bottle shop, you have to go to the Little Carpathian Wine Route year after year to get it.

And what new awaits you at the May one, which will open its cellars on Friday, May 20? Great wines of the Little Carpathians from 2021, excellent culinary delicacies, often prepared personally by the winemaker, will not miss the music in the cellars or exhibitions of artists.

In short, two days of great wines and experiences in the Little Carpathian Viticultural Area await you. Whether you choose one of Bratislava’s wine-growing districts Devín, Dúbravka, Nové Mesto, Rača and Vajnory, or Slovenský Grob, Svätý Jur, Pezinok Grinava, Pezinok itself, Limbach, Viničné, Veľký Biel, Veľký Grob, Čataj, Šenkvice, Vištuk, Budmerice, Štefanová, Ružindol, Vinosady, Harmónia or Kráľová of Modra, the Modra itself, Dubová, Častá or Doľany, it is up to you. Saint Urban will be pleased with your presence anywhere.

Saint Urban of Langres is the patron saint of winemakers, vintners, friends of good wine, coopers and last but not least, he was supposed to protect people from drunkenness and vineyards from frost. Every year, therefore, in wine-growing areas, his importance is reminded not only by tasting quality wine, but also by blessing its sculptures.