Zlatý Strapec Winery, Viničky: Tokaj in a tuff cellar

Slovakia’s southernmost Tokaj village

Viničky is a village on the Bodrog River right next to the Hungarian border, at the southern edge of the Slovak part of the Tokaj wine region. Its very name comes from the word for vineyard, and wine has been made here for centuries: the sun warms the slopes above the river, and from autumn mists rise from the water, helping noble rot develop on the berries — the basis of the sweet Tokaj výber wines.

The Zlatý Strapec winery ("Golden Bunch") was founded in 1992 by Anna and Gejza Nagy. It is one of the oldest private wineries in Slovak Tokaj, and three generations of the family now work here. The estate has about 10 hectares of its own vineyards planted only with traditional Tokaj varieties: Furmint, Lipovina and Yellow Muscat. The wine is made by the classic oxidative method combined with modern equipment and matures for years in oak barrels in tuff cellars holding 45,000 litres. The winery is entitled to label its wines with the protected name "Tokajské víno". The family motto is the Latin "Vinum regum, rex vinorum" ("wine of kings, king of wines"), and the cellar walls display medals from competitions in Bojnice, Šírava and the international contest in Viničky.

Why go

• A tasting in a medieval cellar. A tasting room for 20 people, open all year, sits right in the tuff cellar. A tasting lasts 1–2 hours depending on the number of samples; the hosts explain how the grapes are grown, what distinguishes 3- and 6-putňa wines, and how naturally sweet wines are made.
• Summer gazebo. In summer tastings also take place outdoors, in a gazebo for 45 guests, with music.
• A look at production. The hosts show the path of the wine from vine to bottle.
• Buy wine. The winery shop carries the whole range, gift boxes and bottles of unusual shapes, as well as archive výber wines from various vintages.

What to taste and buy

Varietal Furmint, Lipovina and Yellow Muscat, Tokaj samorodné and výber wines of 3–6 putňa. The pride of the house are archive, "museum" Tokaj selections from the "Vinum regum, rex vinorum" collection, which can be tasted or taken home. The wine comes with a spicy local Zemplín snack. Regular customers can even store their own wines in the estate’s tuff cellars.

Practical information

Address: Tokajská 118/19, 076 31 Viničky. About 6 km east of Slovenské Nové Mesto and roughly 9 km from Veľká Tŕňa. A car is the most convenient option; parking at the winery.

Hours (as of October 2026): Monday–Saturday 7:00–17:00, closed on Sunday. Tastings run all year for groups of at least 6 people and only by advance booking — phone +421 905 271 275, +421 907 199 415, +421 56 637 39 75 or e-mail [email protected]. The wines on offer for tastings change, so confirm the price when booking. A tasting of archive wines is available on request. Wines can also be sent by cash-on-delivery post within Slovakia.

Nearby

• Podkova — a horseshoe-shaped oxbow of the Bodrog opposite the Zlatá Putňa estate, used for fishing and boating.
• The Viničky pergola — a restored light fortification from the First Czechoslovak Republic, now a popular viewpoint.
• J&J Ostrožovič Winery in Veľká Tŕňa with its 13-metre-deep cellar — candle-lit Tokaj tasting.
• Tokaj Open Cellars Day — every September the cellars of Viničky, Malá and Veľká Tŕňa and Veľká Bara open for tastings.

Official website: zlatystrapec.com

Photos: zlatystrapec.com.