The Republic of Poland (Polish: Polska) in Central Europe with its capital Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) covers 312,696 km². The country borders the Baltic Sea and Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) to the north, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south and Germany to the west.

History

In the Middle Ages, East German viticulture extended as far as Pomerania and East Prussia, as many place names testify. At its peak, the area under vines totalled around 4,000 hectares. Around 50 kilometres from Zielona Góra (Grünberg) in western Polish Silesia, Cistercian monks from Klasztor Paradyż (Paradise Monastery) established the first vineyards as early as 1250. Incidentally, the traditional wine festival "Winobranie"(grape harvest) has been held here every year since 1852.

In the 16th century, wine growing declined and wine was imported. Consumption switched mainly to drinking honey, a Polish type of honey wine, and vodka. In the 18th century, the vineyards once again covered around 1,700 hectares, most of which were planted around Catholic monasteries in Silesia (then a Prussian province). After the Second World War (1939-1945), viticulture came to a virtual standstill.

Viticulture in the modern era

A new beginning was made in the 1990s. Today, the vineyards cover around 500 hectares of vines. They are cultivated by around 400 winegrowers, often on very small plots. The majority are garden owners and fruit growers who only produce wines for their own consumption. Around 200 hectares of these are located in the aforementioned Zielona Góra. A well-known wine from this area is Monte Verde (Green Mountain). The remaining areas are located near Warka, close to Warsaw, and in south-east Poland, in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains on the Wisloka River near the town of Jaslo.

Vineyards & grape varieties

The Polish vineyards are among the northernmost vineyards in the world. For this reason, mainly early-ripening, PIWI grape varieties such as Jutrzenka, Léon Millot, Ortega, Regent, Rondo, Seyval Blanc, Siegerrebe and Sibera are cultivated. Experiments are being carried out with Pinot Noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. Polish viticulture may be benefiting from climate change. After joining the European Union in 2004, Poland was granted the status of a wine-growing region for the first time. However, there are still no PDO areas or quality wines protected by origin.

Map: © Goruma
Flag: Public domain, Link
Coat of arms: from From Polish Wikipedia, Public domain, Link
Zielonoa Góra: by Tb808 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Poland