Vinařství Pod Hradem

Great.

The setting is pleasant, but the stay had too many problems. We arrived to find the terrace door broken and impossible to open. When we asked for help, the receptionist seemed more interested in chatting with the girls than sorting it out. We were handed a key at reception without any information and left to figure things out ourselves. I’d rather not get into the receptionist’s arrogant behavior, that would take a whole paragraph. There were ten of us for the week at Vinařství Pod Hradem. Eight stayed in the apartment, with a caravan meant for the other two. The caravan was old, but big enough for the ten-year-old kids to sleep comfortably. The apartment looked modern, but putting eight people in it was a joke. There was just one toilet and one bathroom, and you had to walk through the bathroom to get to the bedroom. It was hard to live with.

The girls serving at the winery were nice, though they did kick us out of the cellar at seven on the first evening because they still had to label bottles. We were given six bottles of wine as compensation after the tasting fell through, but we canceled it rather than wait until seven. The winemaker was busy on the first day, so we agreed to try again the next day. We were told three o’clock, then on arrival found out it wouldn’t be possible until around seven. We’d received two days with breakfast, a tasting, and a night in a barrel as a gift. After finding out what my colleague paid, I went crazy. We’re demanding, often go to Moravia for wine, and have favorite winemakers. We expect wine to taste good as well as leave us feeling good the next morning. This wine was very average. Breakfast was fine, nothing special, bought at Kaufland and put on a plate for guests. The cheese and sausage platter with wine was standard quality. Sleeping in a barrel is a matter of taste. We really didn’t like the tiny space, about the size of a dog kennel, or the shower and toilet 30 meters away. The weather wasn’t good, so we couldn’t even relax on a deck chair in front of the barrel. I’m sure plenty of people will enjoy staying in one, but we didn’t want a second night there and went somewhere else.

A pleasant winery in a lovely village. We bought some good wine, and the service was friendly. Parking right beside the winery was easy. There’s outdoor seating, and if you feel like a walk, you can head through the beautiful countryside to the ruins of Děvičky castle.