Dwie Granice Vineyard, Przysieki near Jasło: cellar and tastings

Winnica Dwie Granice (“Two Borders”) lies in the village of Przysieki a few kilometres west of Jasło, on the Jasło Wine Route. The name is intriguing: you might think it refers to two frontiers, Polish-Slovak and Slovak-Hungarian, that must be crossed on the way to the famous Hungarian vineyards. In fact it is simpler: the vineyard sits exactly on the boundary between two villages, Przysieki and Trzcinica. The Jasło area is regarded as the cradle of modern Polish winemaking: the first local vineyard, Golesz, was planted back in 1982, and today the Jasło Wine Route links sixteen farms, Dwie Granice being one of the largest.

The founders are Lidia and Marek Nowiński, a couple from Warsaw. Years ago they visited Hungary and fell for its winemaking and long tradition. They decided to build a house in Przysieki, where Lidia's family comes from, designed the vineyard, chose the varieties and in 2004 planted the first vineyard in the village. The first harvest came in 2006, and grapes have been picked every season since. In June 2011 they began building their own winery, sized to process the crop of six hectares, and in 2012 they planted a second vineyard of 4.2 ha in Bączal Górny. In Przysieki itself there are about 7,500 vines of fifteen varieties, including Aurora, Bianca, Johanniter, Hibernal, Seyval Blanc, Muscat Odeski, Jutrzenka, Rondo, Regent, Léon Millot, Maréchal Foch and Cabernet Cortis. The owners' favourites are Rondo, Johanniter and Seyval Blanc.

Why go

• A tasting with a cellar visit. The winery building houses the processing room, the cellar, a shop and a tasting room. During a tasting guests are taken down to the cellar where the wine is made.
• A tour of the vineyard, demonstrations and presentations by prior arrangement.
• Buy wine straight from the winery; the shop is open six days a week.

What to taste and buy

Dwie Granice wines have repeatedly been recognised at the Polish Wine Competition in Jasło: award winners include Rondium, the white Diana, Lodowe (“Icy”), Rondo Cuvée, Muskatus and Joonita, and a fortified (liqueur) wine took the Grand Prix. The vineyard's whites were also distinguished by the jury of the “Smaczne bo Podkarpackie” (“Tasty because it's from Podkarpackie”) competition. Ask to taste wines from the owners' favourite varieties, Rondo, Johanniter and Seyval Blanc, and compare the whites and reds.

Practical information

Address: Przysieki 412, 38-207 Przysieki (Skołyszyn municipality). Przysieki lies on the road west of Jasło; the bus from Jasło takes about 12 minutes. There is parking for cars and coaches and bike racks; groups up to 45 people. Hours: the winery shop is open Monday to Saturday, 12:00–17:00; tastings during those hours or at other times by arrangement. Vineyard tours, demonstrations and training by prior arrangement only. Tasting prices are not published, so ask by phone. Contact: +48 693 562 380, [email protected]. The owners speak English and Hungarian.

Nearby

• Carpathian Troy in Trzcinica, an archaeological park on the site of an ancient fortified settlement, just across the village boundary.
• The Gothic wooden church of St Dorothy in Trzcinica (15th century).
• Vanellus vineyard and other farms of the Jasło Wine Route.
• Jasło with its market square and tourist information centre, where you can pick up a map of the wine route.

Official website: citik.jaslo.pl

Photos: Henryk Bielamowicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Silar, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; Tomasz Stójewski, Tomasz Bienias, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons.