Page 400 - NEWNORMAL_ANIMATED

NEW NORMAL

František Koudela
President of the Association of Winemakers VOC Znojmo,
director of the cultural institution Znojemská Beseda.
Teacher of gastronomy and leader of junior sommelier
seminars. Sommelier more times awarded in both, Czech
and International Competitions.
VINOBUS (WINE BUS)

The city of Znojmo is often called “the pearl of South Moravia”. The region of
Znojmo in the southeast of the Czech Republic has preserved its own culture
as well as its traditions and as a wine-making region it is a popular destinati-
on for not only lovers of wine but also nature, history and gastronomy.

One of the oldest cities in the Czech Repub- The first stops are located in the center of
lic will captivate you with its many architectu- Znojmo on the ancient Masaryk Square in front
ral monuments and also with the surrounding of the train station. The last city stop is at the
landscape, with alternating forests, vineyards, Louka Monastery, one of the most important
orchards and winemaker villages. It is the cen- and largest monastery complexes in Central
ter of the Znojmo winemaking sub-region and Europe. At present, the Znovín Znojmo winery
at the same time the gateway to the Podyjí Na- visitor center is located here and thousands of
tional Park, which stretches along the canyon bottles of wine as well as some sparkling wine
of the Dyje river. Many visitors are attracted by are maturing in the monastery cellars.
wandering through the local region and its ex- Then the Vinobus leaves the city behind and
cellent conditions for hiking and biking com- sets off to nearby Nový Šaldorf. The local cellars
bined with tasting local wine. were dug or rather scraped by generations of
VOC is an appellation designation similar to local winemakers in the sandstone massif du-
AOC in France or DAC in Austria. Winemakers ring long winters. The fine excavated sand has
from Znojmo founded the first VOC associa- a blue color in daylight. It used to be used for
tion 12 years ago. Besides taking care of the the stucco plasters of palaces in Vienna.
quality of wines within the association, the Several hiking, horse-riding and biking trails
VOC Znojmo winegrowers‘ association came pass through Hnanice, known for its long vaul-
up with a tourist winemaking bus project, the ted wine cellars. Therefore, it is an ideal star-
so-called “Vinobus”, the year before last. ting point for exploring the Podyjí National
Tourists who are currently in the center of Park. Bikers who have wisely loaded their bike
Znojmo and would like to get to cellars and into the bicycle lift, which is a part of the Vino-
wineries quickly and easily no longer have to bus, will definitely enjoy these bikeways.
solve the problem with transport. All they have On the slope of a rocky promontory in the
to do is to get on the Vinobus and then just meander of the Dyje river is the Šobes vine-
wander through the vineyards, walk through yard, which is ranked by experts as one of the
the cellar alleys and enjoy top wines with the ten most beautiful European wine-growing
original certification of winemakers from the locations. At the tasting stand, the Vinobus
Znojmo region. Their mentor and helper is a passengers have a unique opportunity to en-
trained guide, who must always be present on joy exceptional Šobes wines right where the
the Vinobus. grapevine is born.
400