Taste the Trnava Region: Discover Our Wine Heritage

For centuries, wine helped the historic city of Trnava to prosper as a trading centre, while neighbouring villages supplied grapes and kept winemaking skills alive. Its medieval walls, underground spaces and old-town cellars still reveal that rich relationship with wine. With its many churches, Trnava earned the nickname “Little Rome”, making the city an inviting base for exploring the surrounding countryside. Warm conditions and the loamy soils of the Trnava Uplands suit both white and red grapes, including Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Around Zeleneč, visitors can also discover Slovak grape crossings such as Dunaj, Hron, Váh, Nitra and Rimava, developed by the viticulturist Dorota Pospíšilová. Wine-themed events keep the culture alive throughout the year, while the Vineyard Cycling Circuit links villages, vineyards and historic sites. Together, these experiences make Trnava a place to discover wine through its landscape, architecture and people.

Highlights & useful facts

• Wine highlights: Welschriesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Slovak crossings
• Places to explore: Trnava’s historic cellars, Dolná Krupá and Voderady
• Experiences: Vineyard Cycling Circuit and seasonal wine events
• Suggested visiting season: May–October

The Hlohovec Wine District stretches across the vineyard slopes above the Váh River, where the Nitra Uplands meet the southern edge of the Považský Inovec mountains. Loess and calcareous soils contribute to the fresh, aromatic character of the local wines, often with a delicate mineral quality. Among the traditional varieties grown here are Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, Müller-Thurgau and Blaufränkisch. The village of Bojničky has become particularly associated with its distinctive Gewürztraminer. As you explore the slopes, look out for fraštacké hajlochy, traditional vineyard buildings once used for pressing grapes and storing wine. Some survive in the hills around Hlohovec, including the area known as Pod Beregom, preserving a striking part of the region’s heritage. The surrounding villages and vineyards are connected by walking routes and cycling trails that invite a slower discovery of the countryside. Events such as Fraštacké putovanie za vínom bring local wine culture together with the historic town and the landscape above the river.

Highlights & useful facts

• Wine highlights: Gewürztraminer from Bojničky, Welschriesling and Grüner Veltliner
• Places to explore: the vineyard slopes above Hlohovec and traditional hajlochy
• Experience: Fraštacké putovanie za vínom
• Suggested visiting season: May–October

The vineyards above the former royal town of Skalica have been part of local life for generations, especially around the distinctive vineyard hill of Vintoperk. Their best-known wine is Skalický rubín, a traditional dry red with Protected Designation of Origin status. Its character is based primarily on Blaufränkisch, supported by St. Laurent and Blauer Portugieser. More than 500 small vineyard buildings, known locally as búdy, still stand on the slopes above the town. Originally used for processing grapes and storing wine, these huts also became gathering places for friends, families and cultural figures. Together they create one of Slovakia’s most memorable wine-growing landscapes, where architecture and viticulture share a story. Visitors can experience this heritage through vineyard walks and local celebrations, including the Open Vineyard Huts Day. A visit is easily combined with a stroll through Skalica’s historic streets and a taste of Skalický trdelník, the town’s famous sweet pastry.

Highlights & useful facts

• Signature wine: Skalický rubín (PDO)
• Heritage highlight: more than 500 vineyard huts, locally called búdy
• Places to explore: Vintoperk and the historic centre of Skalica
• Suggested visiting season: May–October

The vineyards around Horné Orešany and Dolné Orešany have long been associated with red wine, and the name Orešanské červené became known beyond the region in the nineteenth century. Traditionally, this wine was made mainly from Blauer Portugieser, a grape closely linked with the identity of the district. Other varieties grown here include Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling. The vineyards occupy the foothills of the Little Carpathians, where loess and loamy soils are influenced by cooler air from the hills. These conditions help the grapes retain freshness, expressive aromas and a balanced structure. Historic cellars and vineyard villages still reflect a winemaking heritage that stretches back to the Middle Ages. Visitors can combine wine experiences with walks towards Slepý vrch and journeys through the countryside around the Suchá reservoir. The landscape also has a place in Slovak literature through the novel Červené víno, while local tasting events continue its living wine traditions.

Highlights & useful facts

• Historic local wine: Orešanské červené, traditionally associated with Blauer Portugieser
• Villages: Horné Orešany, Dolné Orešany, Suchá nad Parnou and Ružindol
• Experiences: Slepý vrch, Majdán nature trail and local wine tastings
• Suggested visiting season: May–October

The Vrbové Wine District occupies the northern edge of the Little Carpathians, where the history of viticulture is documented in written records dating back to 1113. Vineyards grow on limestone slopes around Čachtice and the Kozie hory hills, as well as on loess and loamy foothills. With a somewhat cooler climate and a longer ripening season, grapes develop natural acidity, freshness and expressive aromatics. White varieties include Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. Blaufränkisch also grows here, while Pinot Noir finds particularly interesting conditions on the limestone slopes of Kozie hory. The wine landscape connects the ruins of Čachtice Castle with the historic town of Vrbové and the spa town of Piešťany. Along the way, visitors can discover vineyards, heritage sites and countryside shaped by the northernmost reaches of the wine region. Local wine events and cycling routes offer opportunities to combine a glass of wine with a broader exploration of the area.

Highlights & useful facts

• Heritage: records of vineyards dating back to 1113
• Wine highlights: Riesling, Pinot Noir and limestone vineyards of Kozie hory
• Places to explore: Čachtice Castle, Vrbové and Piešťany
• Suggested visiting season: May–November

The Záhorie Wine District lies between the Morava River, the pine forests of the Borská Lowland and the slopes of the Lakšárske Hills. With sandy soils, broad horizons and quiet villages, it has a very different atmosphere from the better-known wine centres of the Little Carpathians. Historic vineyard sites such as Vinohrádky near Borský Mikuláš preserve evidence of a longstanding local tradition. Old vineyard plots at Dufkov vrch and other places keep the memory of grape-growing alive in the landscape. Today, the district is more closely associated with this cultural heritage and its natural scenery than with an established network of wineries offering tastings. The mostly flat Morava Cycle Route makes it easy to explore the river landscape at a relaxed pace. The Záhorie Cycle Route also leads through pine forests, sandy hills and open countryside. Visitors can combine these peaceful journeys with cultural sights in Šaštín or continue towards neighbouring Skalica for wine experiences.

Highlights & useful facts

• Landscape: sandy soils, pine forests and the Morava River
• Heritage sites: Vinohrádky and historic vineyard plots near Borský Mikuláš
• Experiences: Morava Cycle Route, Záhorie Cycle Route and Šaštín
• Important: the source currently lists no registered wineries in this district