The view from the Cow Mountain Ministry of “Finance, Mails, Gossip and All Kinds of Communications” shows us the next stretch of our journey. First comes a climb along the road to Vrbice, then a downhill along vineyards towards Kobylí and on through the unforested landscape past Brumovice and Klobouky to Krumvíř, the centre of a region rich in folk traditions known as the “land without shadows”. Here, the trail briefly leaves the main road and passes through town on calm streets along Kašnice creek. The route does a similar “detour” in Terezín, where it turns off twice from the intersection in the centre of town to lead cyclists to the local wine cellar lane.

    Terezín is the westernmost point of the former Mutěnice wine region, today part of the Slovácko (Moravian Slovakia) sub-region. The area is known for its wide range of grape varieties, and its vineyards, located at higher elevations in the hilly terrain, give the local wines their refreshing character and distinctive aroma. The region has two important winemaking centres – Mutěnice, site of a wine research station, and Čejkovice, with its Gothic fortress and extensive wine cellars.

    The section of trail from Čejč to Čejkovice leads us through the country of T. G. Masaryk. The President-liberator’s many visits are memorialised in a trail named after Masaryk as well as through memorial plaques in both villages. Soon after Čejč, the pink wine trail to Mutěnice turns off, ending its brief parallel run with the arterial route. The Moravian Wine Trail then continues up a moderate climb along the road towards Čejkovice. Halfway up, the trail turns off into the countryside and begins a 10-kilometre segment to Starý Poddvorov, one of the most beautiful stretches of trail along the entire route. The well maintained though mostly unreinforced road follows the hilly terrain, offering excellent views into the valley as well as a comfortable ride at the foot of fields and vineyards.

    Located on the highest point in town, the 17^th-century parish church of St. Anne, together with the surrounding cemetery and baroque gate, forms an imposing architectural whole. The shrine of St. John of Nepomuk is a neo-baroque structure from the 19^th century, as is the shrine of St. Florián by the road to Vrbice, which forms an important point of orientation in the landscape. Bořetice is one of the most famous winemaking communities in the Velké Pavlovice region. In 2000, this winemaking village of 260 cellars at the foot of Kraví hora declared the fictitious (Spolková republika Kraví hora) Federal Republic of Cow Mountain, complete with its own constitution, president and currency – the “kravihorec”. In 2005, this attractive and dynamic town was named “Village of the Year”.

The residents of this settlement, founded by German settlers in the 13^th century, have since the Middle Ages had to fulfil duties as border guards and soldiers. The wine cellars, which were created from hiding places and passageways in Stráž hill, can be as much as seven stories one on top of the other. Above the village looms the neo-Romanesque church of St. Giles (1913-20) with its 36-metre tall tower.

Its first written mention is from 1252, but archaeological digs have found artefacts dating to the Bronze Age and a settlement from the Moravian painted ceramics culture. The church of St. George from 1670 with a freestanding tower was built on a Gothic foundation as part of the region’s fortifications. Kobylí is an important producer of red wines.

The Renaissance-era town hall dates from 1589; it was expanded and its interior renovated in the middle of the 19^th century. Today it houses the municipal offices and a museum of ethnographic collections. The early Gothic church of St. Lawrence (1655) is home to the so-called “Litenčice altar” as well as a grandiose painting of the crucifixion painted in 1955 by Ludvík Kolek. The chapel of St. Barbara on the forested hill above town also boasts rich interior decorations and valuable furnishings, including a Renaissance-era pulpit.

As a reminder of the rich tradition of windmills in the Klobouk region (until the end of the 19^th century, the southern slopes of Klobouky were home to four windmills), this renovated windmill from Pocetluky near Kroměříž stands on the site of the last Klobouk windmill. It is one of the few windmills in this country that has a fully outfitted interior and is functional.

During the Hussite Wars, this town with market privileges and the right to brew and sell beer suffered extensive losses and almost completely disappeared in the mid-15^th century. When a new town was founded in the 18^th century, some of the new settlers were of French origin. The town’s main monuments are the baroque chapel of St. Valentine from the mid-18^th century with later renovations and the statue of St. Kajetán from the same era. Winemaking traditions are focused around the area known as “Pod búdama”, where you will also find a preserved winepress from 1790.

The first mentions of the town and the cultivation of wine in Čejkovice are connected with the Knights Templar. In the mid-13^th century, the knights built a Gothic fortress and extensive wine cellars, which at 650 m are among the longest in the Czech Republic. In the 17^th century, the fortress was renovated as a baroque chateau; today it is home to Hotel Zámek and an excellent restaurant with a wide assortment of wines. Nearby are heritage-protected baroque farm buildings (granary). Also in town are a monument and memorial hall dedicated to T. G. Masaryk, memorialising his stay here in the years 1856-1862.

This German-type windmill dating from the year 1870 was in use until 1949, although in its later years it was used only for grinding barley. In 1999 the mill was bought by the municipality of Starý Poddvorov, which then restored this valuable historical monument.