In recent years, the area around the castle park in Veselí nad Moravou has come to life, through the modernisation of the Baťa Canal dock, and through the planned construction of a cultural and educational winery site. This site was first opened to the public last year, and visitors will also be able to take walking tours of the vineyard and taste the local wine this year. One planned new feature for this year’s upcoming season was introduced by founder of Veselí winery Dog in Dock, Tomáš Zbořil.
Last year you first opened the winery to the public. How do you assess the first year, and what new features are you planning for this year?
Because of the pandemic, we didn’t open last year until mid-July, so it was a shortened season. Visitors were able to view our young vineyard, taste our wine and find out more about making wine. It was mainly tourists from the adjacent Baťa Canal who came to visit us, although we also welcomed many locals.
This year, we’ve opened up fully. We began the season in early June, and we’ve also extended our opening hours. You’ll find us in the park every weekday from 3 pm to 9 pm, and from 11 am to 9 pm at weekends.
The main new feature is a new location for our site. This year, we’re moving closer to the main cycle path through the castle park, opposite the café there, where visitors are able to sit town in the pleasant shade of the trees. Visitors can also look forward to the extra convenience provided by our modern Wine Truck. We’d also like to host cultural events during the summer. We’ll keep you informed of all the latest through our social network sites.
In the past, our premises were the property of the House of Chorinský, who also grew tropical fruit in the greenhouses here. In more recent decades, however, the site became dilapidated and was closed to the public. Now, this site with its rich history has come back to life through our vines. Is the site now open to the public?
Of course. It is open to everyone entirely free-of-charge. We want the site to be a lively place where people can meet up – ideally over a glass of wine (grins). Locals and tourists can use it as a place to relax when walking through the castle park, for example. They can also go and view the orangery free-of-charge, imbibing the ambience of our town’s history, which is closely linked to the House of Chorinský.
When is construction of the actual winery building planned to be complete?
We are working hard preparing for construction of the winery. We received planning permission in June, and in autumn this year construction work should begin on connecting up to water and other supplies, while construction of the winery itself will begin next spring. If all goes according to plan, we should be opening up in spring 2023. As well as the winery, where all production is to take place, the building will also incorporate a modern restaurant and conference hall for weddings and parties, alongside accommodation for around 80 people.
So you’re currently making your wine outside Veselí …
Yes. In the meantime, we’re making wine at our nearby premises in Boršice u Blatnice, where we’ve been operating since autumn 2019. Our philosophy is to make wine in harmony with nature. We endeavour to use the latest technologies which treat the grapes as gently as possible. We’re also building on many years of viticulture tradition in Moravia – our vineyards are located in the foothills of the White Carpathians. We’d like to move our production to Veselí in autumn 2022.
What wines can visitors look forward to this year?
This spring, we bottled wines from our 2019 vintage, which we chose to age for almost 15 months using the sur lie method in large acacia and oak barrels. As a result, they have a unique flavour, while containing a minimal amount of sulphites. Visitors can enjoy varietals such as Tramín červený, Chardonnay, Sylvánské zelené, Pinot Gris, Frankovka and Merlot. We mainly focus on dry wine, but all those who appreciate quality and naturally-produced wines will also find wines to their taste.
