In winemaking, the first 200 years are the worst, then it's downhill. The hill was of key importance in my story, because when a wine business plan was born in my head, I had to find the right slope for viticulture. Such with a 45% slope directed to the south-west I tracked in Szerzawy. It wasn't for sale. There was a meadow, fields of grain and an old orchard. And the owner amazed at my idea. However, it was possible to convince the locals that viticulture is an art that was practiced here in the Middle Ages by the Cistercians of Wąchock and the Benedictines from Łysa Góra. At that time, the town was owned by the bishops of Krakow and was called Schirzavi. Emphasizing the roots in the historical landscape of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, I gave this name to one of the wines made from biodynamically cultivated vines. Everything happens here naturally, sometimes intentionally, sometimes by accident, just like Casus was created. Itturia, Basque for "spring", refers to the one that beats in the forest at the foot of the vineyard and brings a soothing coolness in summer. To get here, you have to leave the main road. The locals say that these are inventive pits. I prefer the fantasy district. I quickly found out that constant scheming, arranging with clusters and learning from mistakes are the bread and butter of a winemaker. This is what Inventa bottles remind you of.

On a plot of over one hectare, next to 2,500,000 vines and a large wooden house, there are also two smaller ones - Southern and Western. They have a microclimate created by a brine graduation tower, a crackling fire in the fireplace and space for intimate family or friendly groups. They invite you to the terraces overlooking Łysogóry and unhurriedly sipping wine at sunset. Winnica Nad Źródłem is a port for enotourists, a family haven and a place where, in addition to the drink in three colors, you can taste wine stories, meet a cat gang and a dog team and walk as much as you want around the Świętokrzyskie region.

My story here began with the search for the right slope. Such with a 45% south-west slope, full of sun, I found in Szerzawy, less than 2 hours from the capital. It wasn't for sale. I finally managed to convince the previous owner to change his mind. And so began the history of the vineyard and the houses whose windows overlook it and the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.

Accompanied by a large Lavender House, surrounded by a vineyard, there are two houses: South and West, both with a view of the mountains from the terraces, and 2,500 vines grow right in front of them. I invite all guests to visit the vineyard and winery, during which I talk about the secrets of vinification, as well as wine tasting.

Each of the houses has 45 m², a group of 4 people will feel comfortable in it, but extra beds in the form of fold-out armchairs make it possible for up to 6 people to sleep in each. On the ground floor there are: a living room with a sofa bed, a kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower. Upstairs there are two bedrooms, each with two single beds. Each cottage has a fireplace, brine graduation tower and a TV with access to Netflix.

Both houses have a ground floor adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. They have: ramp access, wide doors, maneuvering surfaces and appropriate handles in the bathrooms.

The plot includes 7,000 m² of forest. Going down the slope, you will come to a spring that once supplied the entire village with water. It is around 5 degrees all year round, it is our natural summer air conditioning. The source connects to the Psarka River. This is an area protected under Natura 2000.

Next to the houses on the plot there is also a large Lavender House. The space is so large that you can enjoy it completely freely.

There are even two optical fibers here, if necessary, you can work from here.

Pets are welcome here, but keep in mind that the large area is not fenced.

Each cottage has a well-equipped kitchenette. There is a place for a bonfire on the plot (you can use a cauldron). There will also be a barbecue at your disposal.

In the area you can buy fresh eggs, delicious goat cheese, honey, and in the vineyard itself: ecological jams and natural herbal syrups (including mint, pine, lemon balm, nettle). A herbarium with herbs and a vegetable garden will be at your disposal. Help yourself to seasonal goods.

I invite you to visit the vineyard and winery and taste the organic wines produced here. Another person would boast, but I will only mention that all the wines introduced to the market in the previous year were awarded at international wine competitions.

Although you will stop at a vineyard where enotourism thrives, not everything here revolves around wine. Nature is in the foreground here. Above the source there are good conditions for not showing any activity or, on the contrary, for undertaking various activities. Time only needs to be appropriately divided into numerous ways to make it pleasant:
– the vineyard covers an area of 1.4 ha, on the plot itself you can walk, get lost in the greenery and breathe deeply,
– the area is just perfect for lazy wandering around vast meadows and fields (alone, with children or with a dog),
– you will discover the secret of the name of the vineyard by going down the slope to the forested valley, where there is a forest spring,
– the spring connects with the Psarka River, there are logs on the lower one, which can be used to cross the river, walk along its banks and soak your feet in it,
– sessions of regeneration and body cleansing will take place at the graduation tower in the living room,
– evening bonfires are recommended for integration with long-unseen people.

If wine will be the main purpose of your trip, you should not be disappointed. I tried my first self-grown wine in 2015. Today, I manage to produce 2,500 bottles a year. In the cool cellars, where there are vats and barrels, you will be able to spend time listening to stories about the drink, which I can talk about for hours, and also take part in its tasting.

I periodically organize workshops in the vineyard - "Bread and wine". If you happen to come across them and want to take part, then in addition to learning the secrets of wine production, you will also learn how to bake bread.

If you want to move a little further to see the charms of the Świętokrzyskie region, the area has a lot to offer. How can you spend your time here?
- Numerous hiking and cycling trails start from Bodzentyn. In the city itself, you can see the ruins of the castle founded in 1365 by the bishop of Krakow, Florian of Mokrsko, and take a walk to the Czernikiewicz Homestead, the oldest elements of which date back to 1809. This is the only such comprehensively preserved small-town homestead in the Kielce region. From Miejskie Góra you can go along the blue trail of Edward Wołoszyn to Saint Catherine. It is a hiking trail, but also available for cross-country skiing and ski touring. It runs through the area of the narrow-gauge railway, which was liquidated in the 1950s.
- From Saint Catherine you will climb the highest peak of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains - Łysica (614 m above sea level), the main tourist trail of Świętokrzyskie them. Edmund Massalski, marked in red. The entire route is 92 km long and runs through the Jeleniowski Landscape Park, the Świętokrzyski National Park, the Masłów Range and the Oblęgorskie Range, and on its route there are Święty Krzyż and Łysica. In the village you can also visit the Museum of Minerals and Fossils.
- Two-wheel lovers from Świętokrzyskie led to the implementation of a singletrack project in the Jelenia Góra Landscape Park. Fans of two-wheelers have at their disposal two downhill paths: Świst and Trzygłowy, and an uphill path - Strumyk. The length of the routes varies between 1,900 and 2,100 meters, the uphill stretch is 2,600 meters long. The elevation gain on the routes is 180-190 meters.
- If you dream of water, this dream will be fulfilled by Zalew Wióry - a retention reservoir on the Świślina River. You can see the dam above it or go fishing. Very close to the reservoir, in Doły Biskupie, there are the remains of the Gombrowicz family's estate - a former cardboard factory, which was named Witulin after the writer (the material from which brown railway tickets were made was produced here). There are more water reservoirs in the vicinity, e.g. in Cedzyna and Wilków.
– For skiing, we have the closest places to: Bodzentyn, Krajno or Bałtów.

And this is not all, because the Świętokrzyskie Mountains also include: Iłża with a tower that remembers the times of Queen Jadwiga, Starachowice with a blast furnace from 1899 located in the Museum of Nature and Technology, the striped flint mine in Krzemionki, the Education and Culture Center The Glass House in Ciekoty with manor house where Stefan Żeromski lived.

There's more to it, but I know sometimes it's just about being bored. Then I recommend lazy afternoons and evenings on the terrace of the house with a glass of wine.

The kids run around the grass all day in search of molehills, walk together to the river or organize trips in the forest. We have a whole list of attractions for them from the cycle: holidays in the countryside. There are sticks and pebbles, there are earthworms, sometimes there is mud. In the neighbourhood, you can visit cows, eat grapes straight from the bushes in season, enjoy sausages or marshmallows from the fire and discover the unknown.