"Modré Hory: Discover the Vineyards of Moravia by Bike"

In South Moravia, wine is more than just a drink. It’s people, history, sandstone cellars, winding trails between the hills, red rooftops, and small family estates. The best way to experience it all is by setting off on the Blue Mountains Wine Trail, which winds through the Modré Hory region and connects the picturesque villages of Bořetice, Kobylí, Němčičky, Velké Pavlovice, and Vrbice.

Along the way you’ll ride past rolling hills, breathe in the scent of vineyards, and pause wherever local winemakers invite you for a tasting, a chat, and a glimpse of tradition. You can follow the route by bike or on foot—each has its charm. On two wheels you feel the wind and cover more ground; on foot you notice the hidden details and stumble upon wine cellars you won’t find on any map.

Blue Mountains Wine Trail – Route Details

Difficulty: Moderate

Bike type: Trekking (perfect also for e-bikes)

Length: 65.4 km (with a shorter option available)

Elevation gain/loss: +876 m / –914 m

Surface: mostly asphalt roads and hardened trails

Best season: late summer to early autumn – the time of burčák (young fermenting wine) and local cheeses.

This is a route with character, yet still manageable for less experienced cyclists. Perfect for a full-day ride with wine, views, and plenty of local flavor along the way.

🍇 Burčák – Moravian Autumn in a Glass

What is burčák? It’s young, still-fermenting wine – a Czech and Moravian specialty that appears only once a year, usually from late August to early October. Cloudy, pale yellow, lightly sparkling, and full of aromas of grape must and orchard fruit, it tastes like a playful mix of grape juice, bubbles, and just a touch of alcohol (around 4–6%).

Why try it?

• It must be drunk fresh – straight from the barrel or demijohn.

• It’s low in alcohol, refreshing, and dangerously easy to drink.

• It’s more than a drink: it’s a seasonal ritual, Moravia’s answer to Beaujolais Nouveau, but far more down-to-earth.

• Best enjoyed with a slice of rustic bread, cheese, and under the open sky – at a festival, in a wine cellar, or simply next to your parked bike in the vineyards.

 

🥂 Festival Burčáku 2025 – “Krajem vína: Putování za burčákem po Modrých Horách”

🗓 Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025 (9:00–18:00)

📍 Start & Finish: Sokolovna Velké Pavlovice (Hlavní 1)

🔗 More info: modrehory.cz

This eagerly awaited event marks the 18th edition of the legendary “Krajem vína” wine trail – a walking and cycling loop through the Blue Mountains (Modré hory) with burčák tastings in several wine villages.

How it works:

• Participants get a special map and stamp card.

• At each winery stop, a glass of burčák is waiting for you – included in the ticket.

• Collect stamps, sip along the way, and discover local cellars that aren’t always open to the public.

👉 It’s not a race – it’s a moving wine festival on two wheels or on foot. The vibe? Friendly, relaxed, and a little bit fizzy.

Němčičky – Our Base in the Heart of Modré Hory

Němčičky became our perfect base in the very heart of the Blue Mountains (Modré Hory), with direct access to the region’s best cycling routes and wine trails. Each day we set off in a different direction: one morning towards Vrbice with its hidden underground wine cellars, another day across the vineyards of Bořetice and up to the Kraví Hora lookout tower.

Evenings always brought us back here – to a glass of wine at Vinný bar Hulata or simply a terrace by a local cellar. Němčičky is a quiet, wine-soaked village, the kind of place that feels like home within a few days.

🍷 Vinný bar – Vinařství Hulata

Hidden in the heart of South Moravia, right on the Blue Mountains Wine Trail, Vinný bar Hulata is the kind of place you want to end your cycling day with a glass in hand. Open since 2013, it quickly became a local legend – not just a wine bar, but a meeting point for cyclists, locals and travelers alike.

The coolest part? Their self-service wine system:

• Buy a prepaid card.

• Choose from 24 taps of Hulata’s own wines.

• Pour as much (or as little) as you like, straight into your glass.

It feels a bit like a vending machine for wine – but much more stylish and, of course, Moravian at heart.

Perfect for tasting widely across their portfolio without rushing. Just grab a glass, relax at one of the outdoor tables, and watch the sun set over the vineyards.

 

🍷 Vinařství Pavel & Radim Stávkovi – the beating heart of Němčičky’s vineyards

This small family winery, with roots going back to 1880, is today run by two brothers – Pavel and Radim Stávek – who took over the tradition in 1993 and revived it with new energy and passion. In 1998 they built a spacious estate with a wine bar, cellar, tasting room and summer terrace – a place born purely out of love for wine.

🌿 Philosophy & Terroir

The Stávek brothers work exclusively with grapes from their own vineyards, cultivated on the sunny slopes of two historic sites: Bočky and Staré hory. For over 15 years they’ve been tending around 15 grape varieties, from Moravian classics like Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Müller-Thurgau, Sauvignon and Hibernal, to reds such as Blaufränkisch, Portugieser, and St. Laurent.

Their philosophy is clear: respect for nature, tradition and terroir, with an uncompromising focus on quality. Every bottle reflects the soil and sun of Modré Hory.

 Kraví Hora – a lookout tower in the middle of vineyards

You don’t need to climb mountain peaks to take in the full sweep of the Moravian landscape. Kraví Hora – literally “Cow Hill” – lies right in the heart of the Blue Mountains Wine Trail, between Bořetice and Němčičky, and offers a unique attraction: a wooden dome-shaped lookout tower, built in 2006 by local craftsmen.

The tower rises 15 meters high, with four viewing platforms. Climb the 65 steps to the top and you’re rewarded with panoramic views stretching over the endless vineyards of Modré Hory, the Novomlýnské reservoirs, the Pálava Hills, the Kyjov Highlands and much of the Lower Moravian Valley.

It’s the perfect stop to catch your breath, snap a photo, and simply take in the magic of South Moravia’s wine country.

🍷 Vrbice – the underground wine town

If any Moravian village looks like it exists in two dimensions, it’s definitely Vrbice. From above, it’s just a quiet settlement with a church and a main street winding peacefully through the fields. But take just a few steps off the road and you’ll uncover… a hidden labyrinth of wine cellars carved into the hillside, stacked one above another like hobbit houses.

This is arguably the most photogenic wine corner of South Moravia. Colorful cellar doors, quirky decorations, nameplates of winemaking families, and countless glasses shared on tiny terraces overlooking the valley – that’s everyday life in the “underground Vrbice.”

It’s not just a place to taste wine, but to feel the living tradition of Moravian cellars – passed down from generation to generation, each door telling its own story.