There are currently 50 officially recognized varieties of Vitis Vinifera, which can be used for the production of high-quality wine. They include varieties found all over the world, such as Chardonnay, Pinot blanc, Noir, or Gris, known in Slovakia as Rulandské biele, modré, and sivé, as well as Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alibernet, St. Laurent, and Zweigeltrebe.

Slovakia masterfully produces varieties that are typical for central Europe, such as Welschriesling and Riesling, Pálava, Moravian muscatel, Müller-Thurgau, Irsai, Aurelius, Bouvierovo hrozno, Dievčie hrozno, Feteasca regala, Neuburské, Veltlínske červené skoré, or Grüner Veltliner. The blue varieties are represented by André, the up-to-now undervalued gem among blue wines – Blaufränkisch, and also Neronet. When comparing these wines with their counterparts from the neighbouring countries, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary – the shared characteristic features of the central European region are undeniable: freshness, spark, harmony, and vitality.

But the true gems are the varieties cultivated specifically for us. Their taste personifies a piece of our country, as well as a piece of our own skill, tradition, and soul: Devín, Milia, Noria, Dunaj, and Grüner Veltliner. These wine varieties cannot be found anywhere else in the world. It is encouraging to know that more are already lined up: Hron, Váh, and Nitra. Finally, we mustn’t forget the tokaj varieties – Furmint, Lipovina, and Muškát žltý. A combination of their unique cultivation and winemaking technologies turns them into extraordinary wines.

How many forms does Slovak wine have? Eight basic varieties offer a snapshot of a rapidly-developing central European viticulture, allowing a glimpse of the past, as well as a look towards the future. These eight Slovak wines also represent eight wine passions, eight different experiences rewarding every wine lover who tastes them with delight and joy. It is an invitation to discover more Slovak wines.

Slovak wine is one’s pleasant guide in a highly cultured country. The wine reflects a thousand faces of the territory and the ever-present darker or lighter shades of unpredictable weather. Wine is a reflection of the people that created it. Wine offers familiar, yet an always fresh look and an opportunity to bond with a country.

Grüner Veltliner

This is a famous central European wine with an impressive history and an even greater future in Slovakia. It is a profile wine, the pride of Slovak vineyards and cellars in southern Slovakia, Nitra, Small Carpathians, and central Slovak wine growing regions. It is a wine of the highest quality with a beautiful green and yellow, almost emerald colour. It boasts a wide array of aromas from the soft breeze of muscat to summer peach, gently leaping over towards tropical pineapple, grapefruit, and mango, with a light touch of almond flower. Its taste evokes green almonds, blossoming linden trees, and the fruity tones gently leaning on its pleasant acidity. Grüner Veltliner is a wonderful young companion, but also a wine with surprising maturing potential, proven by vintages 1997, 1999, 2000, and 2006. It is a multifaceted wine, with ice and straw wines being its newest variations. Thanks to its distinct and unique character, it is being discovered by the rest of the world, and it has even found its way to New Zealand.

Müller Thurgau

Together with Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling, Müller Thurgau completes the famous trio of Slovak wines. Müller is ready to strike as soon as it pops out of a barrel. It charms with its youth, freshness, and nutmeg aroma. As suggested by its name, Müller Thurgau is of Germanic nature. Slovakia, which was once influenced by the German winemaking tradition, is very fond of this lightly coloured wine with soft green and yellow hues. Müller Thurgau has adopted many things from our vineyards – playfulness, passion, as well as hints of gentle, flowery-nutmeg, sometimes linden or gladiola aromas, followed by traces of fruits and mead in its more mature stage. Müller Thurgau is a wine that spans across the whole country and all generations. Its burčiak (freshly fermenting must) has earned a respectable position: It opens wine harvests and invites a new year of winemaking.

Riesling Italico/ Welschriesling

This wine is certainly not a distant relative of the better-known Riesling. Its origin has been lost in the bottomless well of viticultural history, but the prevailing opinion suggests it came from France. It has proven to do extremely well in Slovakia. Each winegrowing subregion offers its own, unique, rendition of Welschriesling: different from the Small Carpathians, different from southern Slovakia, and different again from the foothills of the Zobor mountain. Welschriesling is elegant and charming. One sip, and you know what a vine flower smells like. It stays true to its attribute “welsch“ (Welsch-nuss- walnut). Its aroma carries undertones of hazelnuts, as well as walnuts. Its acidity allows it to maintain its extraordinary freshness throughout its life. Its maturing ability gives testimony to Slovakia’s viticultural present, as well as its past. It is a wine draped in noble titles, from raisin selections to straw and ice wines. Welschriesling is clear and good news about Slovak wine of the third millennium.

Devín

This wine is a namesake of a rocky cliff proudly watching over the confluence of the Danube and Morava rivers. It arches over and connects Slovakia’s viniculture history with its present. Though fairly young, it is an original wine, a product of the people of this country. The golden, yellow-coloured wine with slightly spicy, almost muscat-evoking aromas is a crossing of Gewürztraminer and Malvasia. Devín has a unique ability to retain sugar, and its botrytis-affected berries lend it a noble botrytic aroma. Devín is a refreshingly unique wine with its own face and an undeniable characteristic of the Slovak land. It offers dry wines, as well as naturally sweet selections, with captivating aromas, full-bodied character, and flawless harmony. It hints at undertones of dried apricots and dandelion honey. This beautifully-dressed wine is destined for high society and bound to appear on prestigious award boards.

Blaufränkisch

One of Maria Theresa’s favourites, thriving in the central European space – Blaüfrankisch, has found its home and its undeniable character in Slovak vineyards. The truly famous ones come from Rača in the Small Carpathians, but also from Skalica and other winegrowing regions of Slovakia – Nitra, southern Slovakia and central Slovakia. Blaufränkisch is a wine of many great stories and legends. The famous one with ties to Slovakia is about empress Maria Theresa’s undying love for the wine from Rača. Maybe it was the subtle cinnamon taste with traces of blueberries, blackberries, and chocolate that captivated the senses of the empress. Blaufränkisch has been able to impress her royal highness Maria Theresa, as well as contemporaries with its phenomenal medicinal effects – in the form of resveratrol, a natural heart medicine of sorts. Thanks to them, it has become a timeless phenomenon. Not only does Blaufränkisch provide a memorable experience of a noble wine, but it also protects from lifestyle diseases.

Saint Laurent

Time has granted this wine the age-old attribute “saint“. Following Blaufränkisch, the queen of reds, it is the second most widely-spread Slovak red wine. It came to Slovakia all the way from Burgundy. It has made itself at home and now offers a truly memorable wine lover’s experience. The typical representative of Slovak red wines, it is dressed in a rich red colour and contains higher levels of tannins, balanced with a pleasant aroma of stone fruits and hints of cinnamon. It surprises with its many forms, tastes, and the creators’ undeniable imprint. The French welcome each vintage with their Beaujolais, while Slovaks do the same with their St. Laurent. A well-matured beverage, St. Laurent is a warm, harmonious and full-bodied wine. It is a compilation of vinicultural wisdom and secrets of nature, encoded into individual vintages.

Cabernet Sauvignon

The success of Cabernet Sauvignon is reminiscent of that of famous Gaius Julius Caesar. Like Caesar, this duke of red wines says: “Veni, vidi, vici“. It has briskly conquered the best vineyard areas in Slovakia. In the south Slovak region (the warmest winemaking region), but also Nitra, Small Carpathians, or central Slovak regions, Cabernet Sauvignon arms its wines with unexpected possibilities. Slovak cabernets display a garnet-like, almost purple colour. The taste and aroma blend into one. They are dominated by wild berries – raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, mulberries, as well as red and black currant. Noble and harmonious, the wine becomes even more exciting after maturing in oak barrels, which present it with vanilla, chocolate, and tobacco-like characteristics. Yes, Slovak cabernets that have surprised at international competitions, have many faces. In its size, Slovakia is just a winemaking dwarf, but it has blessed Cabernet Sauvignon with extraordinary terroir, giving the famous French wine a new flair straight from the heart of Europe.

Dunaj

Dunaj (Danube), the wine, is as robust as its European river namesake. It is a purely Slovak wine, while simultaneously pulsating with a vital strength of the Old Continent. It first came about from crossing Muscat Bouchet and Oporto. The subsequent crossing with Svätovavrinecké (St. Laurent) resulted in a peculiar beverage. Europe was given an original southern-type wine that came from its northern-most winemaking belt. Dunaj thrives in the area close to the Danube River. Good vintages in the warmest area of the south Slovak wine region have been fortunate to produce naturally sweet wines. Dunaj is dark red, full bodied, yet well structured, and elegantly harmonious. Just like the river Danube awaits a long journey to the sea, so does Dunaj require time, rewarding us with a chocolatey aroma in the finish line. Dunaj is a beautiful Slovak contribution to the rich repertoire of traditional European red wines. It is a demonstration of the originality of the land it comes from, its unique climate conditions and the people’s ability to create a great wine. It is not discovering something that has already been discovered, but rather a Slovak rendition of a continuing great winemaking story.