Salt Lake Tribune | 2003-09-28 | Page 73

TheSaltLa ike Tribune _ADVENTURE H5 Sunday, September 28, 2003 Freewheeling Through Moravia Biking andfine wine makefor a os ointage visit to Czech Republic By ANDREA DupIKOVA The Associated Press ALTICE, Czech Republic Valtice’s charming baroquechateau hasnoghosts. if you spot any, there’s a simple explanation — you have sampled too many of Moravia’s satiny wines. \ | Madeandsavored here for centuries, wines and vineyards are everywherein the Lednice- Valtice area, still studded with elaborate mansions once occupied by the dukes of Liechtenstein whoruled the region. But tosee the real treasures of this area, you have to head underground. Start in Valtice by touring the nearly 600year-old wine cellars. Damp, moldy and smelling of cider, the vast cellars are filled with huge wooden barrels which hold famed Moravian wines. My husband’s eyes lit up when he heard that you could rent a box that can hold up to 150 bottles of wine and store them here in perfect condition for just $36 a year. “Yeah, that’s the only way you can avoid opening the bottle the minute you get home,” someonein our tour groupjoked. At the tasting, visitors were asked to describe the flavors washing overtheir tongues. While others rattled off the names of obscure plants and exoticfruits, | kept thinking of hay and green peppers while sipping my sampleof Sylvaner. On the chateau's groundfloor, you can visit the National WineSalon, a fancy tasting venue that sprawls underground. Onetour offered here soundedlike a great deal: For $10, sample any of the 99 Moravian wines on display here. But really, the point is not to taste them all in the 90 minutes you have. Instead, as a sign wisely suggests, “sample at most 25 wines at one time” and appreciate them. If you’re a novice in wine tasting, choose a tour or a special session with a sommelier who will introduceyouto theart ofit. All wines are accompaniedby very. detailed information. Write down what you need to know so you can buy the ones youliked. Jiri Balga, a sommelier at the Salon, said the quality of wine has increasedsincetheend of communismin 1989, when people stopped drinking cheap mixed wines that were often sweetenedto be drinkable. Areas like southern Moraviasince havereturned to their roots of good winemaking. And it's a goodthing, because drinking quality wines has becometrendy in the Czech Republic over the past decade. “There are TV showsthat talk about wine. There arespecial wine shops,” Balga said. “You canreally see the difference in how wineis per- Puoros wy ANDREA Dupikova/The Asonated Press Visitors walk and cycle through the gardens around the neo-Gothic chateau in Lednice, Czech Republic. Vineyards, mansions are found throughout the region. ceived.” But wineisn’t the only attraction in this picturesque region easily accessible from the Austrian, Slovak and Czech capitals — and a networkof bicycle paths will allow you to experience it from a different and more healthy perspective. From Valtice, an easy five-mile pedalwill take you aroundvineyards, woods andlakes to Lednice, once the Liechtenstein dukes’ summer residence. On the way, watch for the Arc de Triompheshaped chateau where nobles once gathered for a and drink in the peaceful atmospherebefore continuing through the “Garden of Europe,” where you will pass several other romantic buildings before reaching Lednice. That first glimpse of Lednice’s neo-Gothic chateau rising from its sculpted gardensis magnificent. So is the view after climbing the 300 steps of a nearby minaret overlooking gently rolling hills covered with vineyards, “This is the ideal place for biking,” said Alex- andr Slavik, 26, whosells handmade wooden cookie molds with a traditional recipe in front of Lednice’s chateau. His suggestion, andit’s an intoxicating one: “See Valtice, Mikulov, Palava, bike around and @ Getting there:Valtice, Lednice and Mikulov are easily accessible by train or bus from the Czech capital, Prague; the Austrian capital, Vienna; or the Slovak capital, Bratislava, Oncein the region, you can get aroundvia bus,train orcar. Cyclists will enjoy the many bike paths; either bring your own or rent a bikein Valtice. @ Lodging: A room for two with showerat a local “pension” starts at $22 a night. A double room at the more expensive Hotel Hubertin Valtice, which is part of the chateau,is $43; for the sameprice, you can booka single at Valtice’s fancy Hotel Apollon. @ Thingsto do:Localtourist offices can provide helpful brochures and maps detailing bike paths,tips on where to head for wine tastings, scheduled festivals and information on accommodations. For cycling families with children, the bike path from Valtice to Ledniceis ideal becauseit’s relatively easy and takes in severalhistorical sites. There are more challenging paths around Palava, Mikulov and beyond. Don't forget drinking water and sunscreen. Wine lovers canvisit privately run cellars in the’villages that dot the paths. While biking around Palava, we found the stop in Bavory at the Tanzberg cellar very refreshing. To taste a broader selection of Moravian wines,visit the National Wine Salon at the Valtice chateau and the wine cellars beneathit for a morerustic experience. If traveling with children, boat rides on the canal or rides in a horse-drawncarriage through the gardens of Lednice chateauto the Minaret can be fun. Tired young travelers are sure to perk up if taken to the pony ranch just outside Mikulov, @ Contact: For more information, contact the National Wine Salonin Valtice, http://www.salonvin.cz or (420) 519-352-744. The Czech Tourist Authority http://www.czecot.cz has a New York office at 212-288-0830 extension 2. privately run cellars that the locals open to visi tors, or join an organized wine sampling for groups. Vladimir Sommer,a 52-year-old Czech cyclist, came away thoroughly charmed. “The people are really nice here,” he said. “You can swear at them and they'll invite you to their cellar for wine.” Educational signboards reveal thehistoryof winemaking. But if it’s wine, not history, that you are after, rest your legs with avisit to the HAWAII $449* HOMOLULU/MAUL. 0... ceeee $449 MOMAMMAUAL,......c00ceccereereeeee $499" NEWSTIP HOTLINE See or know of something we need to be covering? 257-8742 JustFares> 5 MT. PHOS INCLUDES RT AIR & ACCOMOBATIONS es Ue“4adit rt pre-hunt breakfast. Rest in the knee-high grass if you go Bicyclists approach a minaret near a chateauin Lednice,still studded with elaborate mansions. in the end upendup in wine cellar, where you might spendall your money.” If you are upfor a more ruggedride, headfor Palava, a hillier area where mostofthe region’s grapes are grown. The16-mile ridestarts in Mikulov, a city dominated by a Renaissancechateau and the remains of a ghetto that was once the center of Jewishlife in Moravia. 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