Slobodné Vinárstvo
– Zemianske Sady, Slovakia
Slobodné vinárstvo is a family-run estate in Zemianske Sady, Slovakia, where winemaking and farming have been part of the land since 1912.
After a long interruption during the war and communist era, the fourth and fifth generations—Agnes, Katka, Mišo and Andrea—revived the family’s vineyards and restored the old cellar under the name Slobodné vinárstvo.
The estate farms 17 hectares on loess soils rich in calcium, facing southwest at 200 metres above sea level. Grapes are grown organically and with respect for biodiversity—no chemical sprays or herbicides are used, and cover crops and beehives support a balanced ecosystem. The varieties reflect local tradition and climate: Blaufränkisch, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Traminer, Devín, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alibernet.
In the cellar, all wines ferment spontaneously with their native yeasts and age in stainless steel, wood or clay amphorae. Sulphur use is minimal, and each label notes the total amount. The wines are never fined or filtered, showing a precise and honest reflection of their origin.
One of the defining wines of the estate is pARTISAN CRU, first made in 2018 when the family began using barrels crafted from oaks grown in their own forest. With these barrels, the circle of their terroir was complete: wine aged in wood from the same soil where the grapes are grown.
Cutis Deviner is Slobodné vinárstvo’s signature orange wine: a blend of Devín and Traminer fermented on the skins and aged in amphora and oak. The 2014 vintage opened international doors, and the 2016 was named by Decanter among the 30 best orange wines in the world, while British Master of Wine Julia Harding called it “a benchmark of this style.”
This year they achieved international recognition when their Blaufränkisch Alternatíva 2017 received 1st place and 97 points at the Falstaff Trophy – a blind tasting comparing Blaufränkisch from across Slovakia, Austria, Moravia, and Hungary.
