Trail through André Country
What exactly do we mean by the term “André”? Lovers of good wine already know that André is a renowned grape variety giving wines with a dark, garnet hue, whose depth and roundness remind us of wines from southern climes, but is cultivated in the vineyards of southern Moravia. Check it out for yourself in practice. An entire nineteen kilometres of perfectly prepared wine trail has been prepared in southern Moravia which will lay out the land of André for you.
There are two possibilities of undertaking this cycle trail:
- Variation I.
HUSTOPEČE > STAROVIČKY > VELKÉ PAVLOVICE > BOŘETICE > VRBICE
(Staring point in Hustopeče – at the Autocamping Formanka, Šafaříkova street) - Variation II.
VRBICE > BOŘETICE > VELKÉ PAVLOVICE > STAROVIČKY > HUSTOPEČE
(Starting point in Vrbice - the outdoor seating by the old press on the summit of the Stráž hill, below the church located near the row of wine cellars)
The charms of André country
The starting point is Hustopeče, whence according to the signpost you will set out in the direction of Starovičky. Here it will surely be well worth seeing the lookout tower above the village, from where you will have a beautiful view over the heights of Pavlov and the Nové Mlýny reservoir. Further on you will arrive directly at the cradle of the André variety – in Velké Pavlovice. Did you know that the first-ever seedling grew precisely here in the Vine Research Institute and the grape was named after Christian Karl André who, at the turn of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, founded the very first association in the world for breeding fruit in Brno?
The town is also the stage for a grand variety of vinous events all year round which are always rounded off with wonderful wine tastings
The town is also the stage for a grand variety of vinous events all year round which are always rounded off with wonderful wine tastings. On the way to Bořetice you can admire the surrounding vineyards. Among the dominant features in Bořetice is the baroque church of Saint Anne and naturally enough there is a host of typical cellars. The cycle trail terminates a couple of kilometres further on in Vrbice. The local vineyards are considered to be among the best when we refer to red wine production. Apart from the Neo-Romanesque Church of Saint Giles, it is worth taking a look at adjacent hill called Stráž, upon which some unique wine cellars have been built. These cellars are constructed from ancient corridors and shelters and in the bowels of the hill they form together up to seven storeys.
One splendid chance to visit here is on 28th June when the wine event with the apt name of Expedition Through André Country takes place. Your journey on the cycle trail will be all the more pleasant on this day due to the rich accompanying programme of events.