Everything about Poland’s thriving wine culture – and a visit to Poland’s largest wine festival

Screenwriter: Jonathan Garbi de Maré

Polish wine culture is flourishing and really on the rise. Every year more vineyards are added and the wines keep getting better. We visit Poland’s largest wine festival, which lasts a whole week but which many people don’t know about. Here’s what you need to know about Polish wine culture.

Wine was already produced in Poland in the Middle Ages

Wine has been grown in Poland for over a thousand years and has been around since the country’s founding. Before the Middle Ages, more beer was consumed and then vodka was introduced and wine culture had to play third fiddle for a long time. But as early as the 15th century, Krakow, Lublin and Zielona Gora were described as wine-growing areas. We return to Zielona Gora and Poland’s largest wine festival.

The major events of the 20th century, the Second World War and subsequent communism in Poland, meant that wine production remained limited for a long time. Only when communism fell did foreign investors dare to intervene and wine culture flourished in the 1990s.

After the Second World War there were two wine regions in Poland and both regular wine and fruit wine were produced. At that time, grapes were mainly grown in the south, but the number of areas with wine production increased and today we usually talk about four wine regions.

The best-known region is Lubuskie, which also includes Zielona Gora and is located in the west of Poland, near Germany. In the south lies the wine region of Lower Silesia. In the southwest lies the wine region of Upper Silesia and Opole around Katowice. The fourth wine region, Lesser Poland, is located just below Katowice and has Krakow as its capital. In Swedish, Lesser Poland becomes Lillpolen, but it is easier with the English terms which are more commonly used and about which there is more information. Then there are vineyards all over the country and even in the north of Poland on the Baltic Sea there are some very good wineries.

Now there are about 500 wineries in Poland, but with the growth taking place now it is not impossible that there will be 600 within a few years. To get an idea of ​​the development: there were less than 200 wineries in 2017.

A warmer climate increases wine production in Poland

The reasons for the boom are diverse: partly an increased interest in wine, but also the favorable climate resulting from the fact that temperatures have risen by about 2 degrees since the 1950s and that winters have become increasingly mild. Between 2018 and 2022, wine imports increased by around 30%, showing how quickly interest has grown.

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The total wine area is not that large, about a thousand hectares, five times larger than the wine-growing area in Sweden. But it is growing at about 10% per year and according to researchers, Poland will be a big winning country by 2050.

Wine bar in Gdansk and Polish Chardonnay

My first introduction to Polish wines was in Gdansk 2022 at Mielżyński restaurant, a legendary restaurant in the harbor outside Gdansk. Exactly where the Polish trade union Solidarity started, which then meant the end of communism in Poland.

During a delicious dinner with owner and wine profiler Robert Mielżyński, I enjoyed tasting various Chardonnay wines from Poland. It was really fine with a balanced body and nice finish and it really tipped the hat to Polish Chardonnay. You can get good wines for around two hundred crowns in the shops and Mielzynski had over 700 different wines, an absolute must if you visit Gdansk.

How do Polish wines compare to the rest of Europe?

There are about 500 wineries in Poland and of course the variety is great in terms of microclimate, grapes and the profile of the winemakers. Perhaps the easiest is to see who has won the most prizes and received medals from recognized wine judges. More than 120 wineries have received ten or more awards for their wines, so there is plenty to choose from.

The four winemakers who have received more than a hundred awards for their wines are Turnau, Aris, Saganum and Equus. Choose one of these if you want secured cards. There are plenty of wines that are comparable to good French and German wines, but it all depends on which grape you are comparing. Since the majority are white wines that are exported, you have to look for real hits here.

Which grapes do they grow in Poland?

The most commonly grown grapes in Poland are Riesling, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most wineries grow 60-75% white wines, so there are significantly more white wines in Poland. In Lubuskie, around Zielona Gora, you will find Chardonnay, Riesling Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc and on the red side Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zweigelt.

Poland also grows some somewhat unusual grape varieties, such as marechal foch, cabernet cortis, rondo and, on the green side, solaris, seyval blanc, johannite and aurora.

Poland’s largest wine festival: Winobranie in Zielona Gora

One of the biggest surprises for me this year was visiting Zielona Gora during Poland’s largest wine festival. A wine festival that has existed since the Second World War but has grown in size, but is nevertheless hardly known outside Poland.

Zielona Gora is located in the Lubuskie region, where wine has been grown since the 13th century. It is a small city of 140,000 inhabitants that belonged to Germany before the war, which reflects the architecture of the city.

Winobranie – a week-long wine festival

The festival takes place in early September and begins with a parade and opening ceremony in which the key to the city is handed over to a person wearing the tunic of the wine god Bacchus. Bacchus and his henchmen can be seen wandering through the city during the festival.

The streets are full of people and the atmosphere is at its best. We may not be used to it at home in Sweden, but despite all the partying and so many people, there is a nice and good atmosphere in Zielona Gora. The main streets are filled with tents and restaurants serving all kinds of Polish delicacies and regional products.

Several stages offer music and entertainment and everyone with something to show in the city is open during the week or has special events. If you want to have time to experience some things, you need at least a few days. For me, who only had a weekend, it was far too little time.

Visit to vineyards outside Zielona Gora

It is a pleasure to experience the organization surrounding the wine festival. Subscribed buses take visitors to nearby wineries for tours and tastings. The visits last 2-3 hours and you will meet the winemakers and wander around the vineyards.

The närmsta vingårdarna is Julia, Ingrid, Milosz, Zelazny, Na Leśnej Polana, Vae Soli, Trojan, Bachusowe Pole, Stara Winna Góra, Winnogóra, Pod Lipą, Jany, Mozow, Cantina and Kinga.

For tourists in Zielona Gora

You should definitely visit the city during the annual wine festival, because it really comes to life. Opening hours and availability are at their best during the festival. You should also take a trip on the Oder River, which flows just outside the city. There is a tourist office in Zielona with information about all the attractions in the area.

Jonathan lived abroad for about 10 years but now lives in Stockholm and runs jbwtravels.com with a focus on craft beer and wine. There you will find a collection of all his publications. Jonathan opened the first craft brewery in Burkina Faso and wrote the book Beer guide to Vietnam. He is a reporter for the beer promotion newspaper Maltesen. In addition to the interest in beer, there is a great interest in nature and slightly more special destinations.