Turianskyi Dvir Estate Cheese Dairy, Turia Poliana

Turianskyi Dvir is a private country estate on the shore of a mountain lake in the village of Turia Poliana in the Perechyn area, about 50 kilometres from Uzhhorod. Besides cottages, hot-tub vats and fishing, it has its own smallholding and a small cheese dairy. The regional tourism portal includes it in the Transcarpathian “Cheese Route”: the tasting features six products — bryndza, vurda, and soft and hard cheeses.

What to taste

The cheeses at Turianskyi Dvir are made mostly from sheep's milk; the farm keeps sheep, goats and a few cows. A tasting board usually includes:

• Transcarpathian bryndza — salty and firm with a distinct sheep's-milk flavour;
• vurda — a delicate whey cheese eaten in Transcarpathia both salted and with honey;
• soft cheeses, including ones with greens and herbs;
• hard cheeses made on site.

The tasting is small and intimate — more an introduction to what one family farm produces than a big tourist programme. You can buy cheese to take away. The range depends on the season and the milk yield, so arrange the tasting by phone in advance.

The estate and its “Mountain Energy” concept

The hosts build their stays around the idea of “Mountain Energy”: clean Carpathian air, low-mineral spring water, swimming in the lake and in vats, herbal teas and bee products. The chany are especially popular — large cast-iron cauldrons where water with mountain herbs is heated over a fire to about 40 °C; afterwards you can plunge into the cool lake, even in winter. The lake is used for sport fishing, catamarans are for hire, and guests can join trips by off-road vehicle to a mountain meadow, a waterfall and Lake Synevyr. That makes it easy to combine a cheese tasting with a day or several days of rest.

Cheesemaking in the Perechyn area

The Turia valley and its tributaries have long been a land of sheep farming and crafts. Local families knew how to make bryndza and vurda back in the days of summer grazing on the polonyny, and today the Perechyn area has several modern dairies that together form a gastronomic route. Turianskyi Dvir is interesting as an example of an estate where cheese is part of everyday farm life rather than a separate production workshop.

Practical information

• Address: Turia Poliana village (the outskirts near Svaliavka), Turi Remety community, Uzhhorod district (formerly Perechyn district), Zakarpattia region.
• Estate phones: +38 068 249 56 73, +38 050 505 59 92, +38 097 893 36 61; directories also list +38 099 444 10 14.
• Tasting: by prior arrangement; check the current price when booking.
• Other services (per the estate website): cottage accommodation, vats, sauna, catamaran hire, sport fishing, private tours.

Please confirm by phone before your trip.

Getting there

From Uzhhorod, drive through Perechyn and then up the Turia river valley via Turi Remety to Turia Poliana — about 50 kilometres in total. The nearest railway station is in Perechyn, from where you can reach the village by bus or taxi. Call the hosts before the last stretch to check how to reach the lake.

Website and social media: turdvir.com.ua · facebook.com

Photos: vidviday.ua; turdvir.com.ua.