Magula Winery, Suchá nad Parnou: biodynamic wines and a farm

A great-grandfather’s vineyard brought back to life

Suchá nad Parnou is a wine village on the south-eastern slopes of the Little Carpathians, near Trnava. Its name (“Dry on the Parná”) is no accident: the village lies in a rain shadow with noticeably less rainfall than its surroundings, so the vines must root deep into mineral loess. Here in Ružová dolina (Rose Valley), in 1931, Jozef Husár, a native of Turiec, bought a plot with a house and planted what was then a modern wire-trained vineyard, spaced so it could be worked with a horse.

Under socialism the vineyard was grubbed up. After restitution the land returned to the family, and in 2007 the great-grandchildren planted almost a hectare of Frankovka (Blaufränkisch) on the old plot; the first proper harvest in 2011 convinced them to carry on. Today three generations run the Magula winery together, farming 8 hectares of their own vineyards, all within half a kilometre of the cellar. The estate has been certified organic since 2015 and has followed biodynamic principles since 2016; grapes are picked by hand only. No systemic chemicals are used at all: the vines are strengthened with organic preparations, predatory mites are released against pests, and the inter-rows are covered with green cover that is regularly mulched to keep the soil alive. Calcium-rich loess and plenty of sunny days give deep reds and full, spicy whites.

Why go

• A tasting in the cellar. The family gladly shows the cellar, vineyards and farm and tells its story. Intimate tastings, a picnic among the vines or a gourmet tasting with verticals, rare vintages and sulphur-free wines paired with craft cheese and a seasonal menu — all by arrangement.
• See a living farm. A chestnut orchard with trees almost two hundred years old, a vegetable garden and fruit orchard, hens and ducks, horses, five beehives and Máša the Jersey cow, whose milk becomes the farm’s own cheese.
• The Vlci a ruže festival. Every year in early September the farm hosts a natural-wine festival (Wolves and Roses): six natural wineries, cellar tours, food and concerts into the night.

What to taste and buy

The flagship is the Frankovka from the single vineyard Rosenberg, replanted on the great-grandfather’s plot. Other varieties include Pinot Noir, Blauer Portugieser, the Slovak crossings Dunaj, Hron, Rosa and Devín, Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner and Traminer; there are skin-contact orange wines and archive vintages. Seasonally the farm sells vegetables, fruit, chestnuts, grape must, honey, milk, eggs, preserves and fresh cheese from raw milk — from young cheeses to matured Alpine-style ones and cheeses ripened in wine.

Practical information

Address: Ružová dolina 908, 919 01 Suchá nad Parnou — on a hill between Vlčia and Ružová valleys, by the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes. About 15 minutes by car from Trnava and roughly 40 minutes from Bratislava. Parking is free during the festival.

How to visit (as of October 2026): Monday–Friday 8:00–18:00, but always phone before you come: +421 905 645 520, [email protected]. Gourmet tastings for 6 people or more, price by agreement. Wines can also be ordered from the online shop.

Nearby

• Medolandia in Dolná Krupá — the Apimed meadery with mead tastings.
• Smolenice Castle and Driny Cave — on the slopes of the Little Carpathians, some fifteen kilometres to the north.
• Trnava — an old town with walls and many churches.

Official website: vinomagula.sk

Photos: vinomagula.sk.