Blatnice - The teacher of nations (J.A. Comenius) was able to drink the wine of Blatnický Roháč

The charter of foundation of the Chapter of Stará Bolestav informs us that the settlement in the location of today’s Blatnice pod Sv. Antonínkem was founded in the 11th century. Centuries later, it has become an important wine centre and wine from Blatnice is delivered all the way to the prince’s court in Prague. The oral tradition and written documents also suggest that the local cellars are of ancient origin. During the time before the battle of Bílá Hora (1620), the family of Jan Amos Comenius owned a vineyard in Blatnice. Documents from the 17th century mention cellars of rich burghers from Uherský Brod and Uherské Hradiště. Nonetheless, throughout the centuries the settlement has been beset several times by the terrors of war. The place was destroyed by Moravian Hussites, Hungarian assailants of the ruler Bočkaj and others who fancied the wines of Blatnice. It took several decades before viticulture in Blatnice once again attained its original level. In the second part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, viticulture in Blatnice was again falling into decay as a result of perenosporic and phylloxera calamities, as well as a focus on more profitable crops. The locals will always remember Romanians and Russians under the command of marshal Malinovsky whose rampage was described by the local chronicler: “... they were looting cellars, shooting into barrels, the wine streaming to the ground...” Nowadays, the viticulture tradition of olden days in the settlement is inextricably intertwined with its living presence. A boom in local wine making is being achieved by both big companies and small producers of wine.  Tasteful showcases with specimens of the best of Blatnice’s wines in front of wine makers’ houses or clear and effective tables on the edges of vineyards marking individual vine tracks reminded me of wine promotion in the region of Champagne. The wine range has improved significantly, and various prolific varieties of the past have made way for first-rate cultivars. At the present time, the basic varieties are Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Blanc, White Riesling and Saint Laurent. Rows of vines located in fields called Kamenice, Antonínek, Stará hora, Floriánky, Ochránky, Rybníčky, Plachty or Střečkův Kopec still adorn the local landscape and the work in the vineyard determines the pattern and rhythm of life for most citizens of the village. Blatnice pod Sv. Antonínkem will capture your attention at first glance by a row of folk constructions typical for the region of Slovácké Dolňácko. They stand out because of their beauty, colouring and the richness of ornamental fronts. Before you hit the road on the way to the Stará Hora cellar colony, visit the local church of St. Andrew (sv. Ondřej). It houses an altar picture of a saint by painter Joža Uprka, whose paintbrush also rendered famous the place of pilgrimage over the village.

Pressing houses made of adobe bricks that have stood the test of time over the centuries

The complex of cellars ‘Stará hora’ in a locality under the hill of Svatý Antonínek is a reminder of times when the hands of builders were led by humbleness and a feeling for the purpose of their construction. Since the end of the 18th century, a set of single-storey pressing houses with cellars have been built around the place – these buildings are nowadays protected monuments of rural architecture.  Since stone was a scarce material in the region of Blatnice, pressing houses were originally built of ‘nabíjanica’ – rammed earth in wooden boarding mixed with pebbles reinforced in the corners with stones. Later this material was replaced by adobe bricks. The floor in the pressing house, as well as in the cellar, is of earth; the ceiling is constructed of beams traditionally with a decking of kneaded mud. A staircase leads out of the pressing house into a small room over the cellar. This low, dark chamber served as a storage place for tools and crates with fruit. A protruding gable of roughly worked boards is fitted with a small door that serves as an entrance to the hayloft. Cellars in the underground linked to the pressing house via a neck are vaulted by midsize water-worn stones from local sources.