Karpatská Perla winery in Šenkvice: tastings and cellar

From a home cellar to Winery of the Year

Šenkvice is a wine village on the plain below the eastern slopes of the Little Carpathians, between Pezinok and Modra. It is home to one of the best-known family wineries of the region, Karpatská Perla (“Carpathian Pearl”). Its story started modestly: in the early 1980s a young couple helped Margita Šebová’s parents make wine, and in 1991 the Šeba family got its own licence and bottled its first varietal wine, a Riesling, in the cellar under their new family house.

Years in borrowed cellars in Pezinok followed, and in 1997 the family bought the building of a former cooperative in Šenkvice. It was rebuilt while production went on, until in 2008 the new complex opened together with a 21-metre lookout tower with views of the Little Carpathians. In 2011 and 2012 the winery was named Slovakia’s Winery of the Year two years running.

Today the family farms more than 50 hectares of its own vineyards. The largest block, Suchý vrch near the village of Svätý Martin, covers 28 hectares of loess soils on the edge of a protected forest. The Noviny vineyard between Modra and Šenkvice is described by the winemakers as the birthplace of Grüner Veltliner (Veltlínske zelené), while Riesling, Traminer and Blaufränkisch grow on the granite slopes below the Modra Calvary. The wines carry the protected Little Carpathian wine region designation.

Why go

• Tasting in the wine shop. During shop hours you can taste four or six wines; the format is meant for small groups of up to 10, so it suits a couple or a family.
• Guided group tasting. For larger parties the winery runs guided tastings in a fireplace hall for up to 50 guests, combined with a look at the production and cellars and seasonal food — by advance booking.
• Lookout tower. The 21-metre tower above the winery overlooks the vineyards and the ridge of the Little Carpathians.
• Events. In autumn there are vertical tastings of Veltliner from different vintages, and in season a wine-and-grill festival; the programme appears on the website blog.

What to taste and buy

The house signatures are Grüner Veltliner from Noviny, aromatic Moravian Muscat, Riesling and red wines from Suchý vrch, including the Slovak variety Alibernet. The shop sells the whole current range, gift sets and, for children, Bobulo grape juice. Those with a sweet tooth will like the Belgian pralines filled with Alibernet.

Practical information

Address: Nádražná 57, 900 81 Šenkvice — on the street leading to the railway station. From Bratislava it is about 30 km (via Pezinok), from Modra 6 km. Šenkvice can also be reached by train on the Bratislava–Trnava line. Everything is on flat ground, so the visit suits people of any age and needs no walking.

Hours (as of October 2026): from May to September the wine shop is open Tue–Thu 10:00–18:00, Fri 10:00–19:00 and Sat 15:00–19:00; off-season hours are best checked in advance. Tasting prices are not published on the website. Group tastings are booked on +421 917 926 266 or at [email protected]; wine shop +421 33 649 68 55.

Remember that Slovakia has a zero-alcohol limit for drivers, so bring a sober driver or come by train.

Nearby

• Slovak Folk Majolica in Modra — pottery tour and painting your own ceramics (6 km).
• Modra with its wine courtyards and the Calvary above the vineyards.
• Pezinok — the centre of the Little Carpathian Wine Route, with wine cellars in the old town.

Official website: karpatskaperla.sk

Photos: karpatskaperla.sk.