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, in the company of 2,500 thousand vines, I also imagined a house surrounded by lavender. It has a microclimate created by a brine graduation tower, a crackling fire in the fireplace and space for a group of up to 12 people. It was created with missions: strengthening bonds, sitting on the terrace with a view of Łysogóry and sipping wine at sunset in the nicest company. It is a port for enotourists, a family haven and a place where, in addition to liquor in three colors, you can taste wine stories, meet a cat gang and a dog team, and walk freely 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.
On the horizon you can see Łysogóry and the Jeleniowskie Range. In the foreground there are 2,500 vines. I invite all guests to visit the vineyard and winery, during which I talk about the secrets of vinification, as well as wine tasting.
Lavender House connects people who have not been seen for a long time or those who want to spend time together with family or friends. It is ideal for 8 people, but there are even 12 places to sleep (in each of the bedrooms there is a single fold-out armchair). The house was made of spruce logs, it is surrounded not only by vines, but also by lavender and pine bushes.
In the 160-meter interiors there are:
– 4 bedrooms in the following configurations:
double bed + fold-out armchair (on the ground floor),
· 2 single beds + a fold-out armchair (on the ground floor),
· 2 single beds + a fold-out armchair (on the ground floor),
· double bed + fold-out armchair (on the first floor),
– a spacious living room with a fireplace and a TV with access to Netflix,
– kitchenette,
– a large terrace with a table and chairs,
– 3 bathrooms, including one with a bathtub,
– wine room in the cellar.
The living room also has a brine graduation tower, which has a positive effect on the nervous system and stimulates the immune system, as well as a large table for playing board games or organizing art classes for children.
In front of the house there is a lot of grass for lying, sitting or rolling around, there is a wooden swing and there is a fire pit with logs around. 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.
In addition to the Lavender House, there are two smaller houses on the plot. 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.
At home, you will find a large, spacious and fully equipped kitchenette. Cooking in it is pure pleasure. To make it even more pleasant, let me tell you, 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.
Meals can be enjoyed not only at the table in the living room, but also on the terrace overlooking the vineyard. There is a place for a bonfire on the plot (you can use a cauldron). There will also be a barbecue at your disposal.
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,
– a wooden swing in front of the house is recommended for reading books,
– 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.
Winnica nad Źródłem is a family place. At home, groups of long-unseen people often meet or are visited by people who are looking for a quiet time in the vicinity of family, a group of friends or acquaintances. This place is full of life then, and the kids run around the grass all day long in search of molehills, go 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.
Books and board games are waiting for the youngest inside.
Here, the smell of vines is intertwined with the aroma of lavender and pine, and the view from the windows can turn your head around, like that second glass of wine. The itinerary for the week is quite simple: a few hours of work in the morning and a tasting of our wines in three shades in the evening. For work there is a large table in the living room with eight chairs or a smaller round table in the kitchen. In the living room you can choose between two comfortable sofas. This is where you decide when the "happy hour" begins and ends.
