While roaming along the Velké Pavlovice wine trail many cyclists admire not only the graceful landscape laced with vineyards and high-quality cycle tracks leading through groves and on little-used roads, but also the architectural and natural monuments. Well worth visiting is the Permanent wine exhibition in the renaissance house “U Synků” in Hustopeče which, along with the exhibits of ancient wine paraphernalia, offers a tasting of the best wines of the Velké Pavlovice wine sub-region.
The promised land of wine tourism is around the town of Velké Pavlovice, which has given its name too this entire wine sub-region. Rows of grape vines determine the face of the local landscape, the open cellars invite one to visit and taste. Not only those of Velké Pavlovice itself are of great renown, but also those of the Kraví Hora wine colony in Bořetice, where winemakers have created their own independent state within a state, the viticultural Free Republic of Kraví Hora. It is just a snip to get from here to Vrbice with its fascinating colony of wine cellars with their stone facades excavated on the top of Guard Hill (Pod Strážním kopcem).
A visit to some of the local winemakers and the singular view from the summit serves as compensation for the very steep ride up from Bořetice. And the sharp downhill road to Kobylí will make up for the earlier strain. And don’t forget to stop off at the local Museum of the village of Kobylí with a tasting exhibition of wines from Kobylí vintners. On this cycle trail there is yet another hill crowned with a view and that is from the window of the windmill (větrný mlýn) in Klobouky u Brna. The Velké Pavlovice wine trail now takes you not only to vineyards but also along the bank of the Nové Mlýny reservoir at Šakvice and on a smaller diversion to Lednice chateau, the Minaret in the chateau’s park (NB. in the park you have to dismount from your bike) or the romantic ruin of Jan’s castle in one of the meanders of the River Dyje.