National Wine Salon (Národní salon vín)

National Wine Salon (Národní salon vín)

National Wine Salon (Národní salon vín)
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles98 reviews
Excellent
65
Very good
19
Average
5
Poor
5
Terrible
4

Ropley
Tadley, UK271 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
If you are in the area of either Brno or Vienna then this place deserves a stop off for all wine lovers. Firstly the boring bits a direct train runs from Brno to Breclav and then a short 12 minute connection to Valtice. A word of warning though, as you leave the main ticket office of Breclav onto the platforms, turn right and platform 4 for Valtice is located there. Follow the signs for 4 in the tunnel link and you end up on a disused platform.
On arrival at Valtice by rail, its a leisurely 10-15 min walk downhill to the village and castle where the wine salon is based. There is also a direct bus, number 10 from Breclav bus station to the castle area of Valtice. Very cheap approx 15Kc. Having entered the castle entrance, the wine salon is underground on the right and offers many different wine programs. We chose the 349Kc program that allows you to sample as many or as little of the wines you want. This particular program excludes the specialist wines and sparkling wines, though i think 75 wines is enough for most. Once you get your glass off you go with a basket of bread to counter the strong taste of some of the wines before trying the next lighter styles. There are places to wash glasses during tasting, but no bins for excess wines.
The wines can be bought subject to availability from 139 to 500kc per bottle. Thankfully most of the wines are matched by grape types so you can easily find the best style for you.
We were given an hour and a half for tasting and managed to try all. They advise 25 wines, but what the hell.
January is the time for wine sales and in the summer it could get very busy as it is set in a lovely location. February the Salon is closed, awaiting delivery of new wines etc. The wines we chose afterwards were about 10 pounds a bottle, but were superb. This salon is great as it allows you to separate the fine from the mediocre without having to drink the whole bottle. Czech wines can be great and with a little experimentation everyone will find something. The bohemia Sekt at 99K for sparkling wine lovers is a bargain available in most supermarkets. This would hold its own against many of europes more expensive finest.
Finally the information at the entrance relating to wine regions and history is in Czech only, as is most of the accompanying tasting booklet. The booklet allows space for tasting notes and gives details of producers etc. If you want to find out stockists and international delivery details of the wine, you will need the producers details as the wine salon cannot help with this.
Written December 22, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

PabloAyala
Europe174 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2012 • Solo
After visiting on 2012.09.08 the Valtice Palace I stopped at the Národní Vinařské Centrum (Czech State Wine Centre), which is housed in one of the palace´s wings. Readers of this review may also be interested in my review on the restaurant of the Hubertus hotel, which is also located in the same palace.

A previous point to be cleared up is that the TripAdvisor heading for this site “National Wine Salon (Narodni salon vin)”, though not incorrect, is incomplete. What the visitor enters is the said Wine Centre, starting with an exhibition of wine-growing history, techniques, areas (see photo 80) and grape and wine varieties in Czech, which the visitor must go through. This museum is as interesting if not more than the degustations the previous TripAdvisor reviews refer to. The Salon vín České republiky (Wine Salon of the Czech Republic) has two related but different meanings. First in time the Salon is a the highest national wine competition. Wines made from grapes grown in the Czech Republic which have previously passed a process of nominating exhibitions, are then assessed by a Czech-only jury of wine-tasters. They award each year to the best hundred wines the right bear the label “Salon vín České republiky”. The name “Salon vín” is also given to the permanent degustation and sale exhibition in a cellar to which the visitor arrives after having walked through the museum and office. Earlier TripAdvisor reviewers refer to the degustation programmes, which I didn´t indulge in. I don´t think drinking many types of wine one after the other is wise, specially if you can´t spit them out.

Another point of great practical importance for visitors of the Wine Centre and potential buyers of this country´s wines is the meaning of the concept “Czech”. The Czech Republic is formed by three regions: Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia. But the Czechs often shorten the name of the country “Česká republika” to “Čechy”; and English speakers also shorten more and more “Czech Republic” to “Czech”. But “Čechy” means Bohemia only, the adjective český (Czech) means both Bohemian and Bohemian and Moravian (i.e. Czech), and the majority of the best “Czech” wines are Moravian. So, if you want a good Moravian wine make sure it isn´t Czech in the sense of Bohemian.

By the time the average wine lover advances along his heavy degustation scheme till the massive steel grill discretely concealed behind a recess in the cellar wall, he is usually not in a state to notice it. I asked the sommelier to open it for me (photo 79) and we descended a steep flight of stairs to the narrow lowermost cellar where the Wine Salon´s premium wines are kept under lock. I don´t know their English names, if there are, but the Czech wine denomination system is practically identical to the German and I know the German names: výběr z bobulí/Beereauswahl, výběr z cibéb/Rosinenauswahl, slámové víno/Schilfwein, ledové víno/Eiswein. These are the best wines Moravia, Central Europe and Canada have to offer . They are many times more expensive than the wines exhibited in the public cellars but, in my opinion, they are worth it. I bought a few.

Besides its huge assortment, the Národní Vinařské Centrum offers a guarantee of impartial advice and fair pricing, since it is state-run.
Written September 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gadi
Tel Aviv, Israel289 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2013 • Couples
This is the right place to taste the best Czech Wines. The cellar is housed in one of the wings of the beautiful castle. We have been on a lot of wine tasting tours across the world and have to say that this experience was very good. For a fee of 355Kc (about 14 EURO), you are given a wine glass, bread and let you to try 112 best wines of 2012 for 90 minutes by yourself. You are receiving a booklet as well that includes info about each wine. The place is very recommended for the wine lovers (amateurs and professionals) . It is possible also to buy wine for the reasonable price. We definitely will come back again.
Written April 3, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kiarmuid
McHenry, IL292 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
Made a reservation but our river cruise timing interfered with that. Great communication with Michaela. She was prompt and really on the ball. She suggested an alternative time. When we showed up Michaela was busy. We talked to a guy playing on his phone at the counter. We said we were there for a tasting. He asked about reservations and I explained what happened. He barely looked up from whatever game he was playing and said he didn't have time if we didn't make a reservation with him.

The place looks interesting. Make a reservation with Michaela and you will probably have a great experience. Avoid phone guy at all costs.
Written October 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JWS57
Pittsboro, NC260 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Couples
This was not a good experience. The desk clerk did not speak English so she got her manager. The Manager did speak English, but didn't explain how the wine system really worked. My husband wanted to taste the better wines so he bought the more expensive ticket - that just got us more wine. After the first 2-3 tastes we couldn't get the machine to work with our chip. It kept asking us to "verify" our choice and there were no instructions on the actual machines - we finally gave up. The manager could have been more helpful, instead she was VERY brusque. The tasting is more fun in the countryside. We didn't even use up half of our chip -finally gave up and left. Not a Good Experience!
Written October 5, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

esw19106
Philadelphia, PA21 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018
I arrived at the striking baroque Valtice Chateau shortly before 5 PM on a late June Friday. The Wine Salon of the Czech National Wine Center is located in the vaulted cellar of one of the wings of the building. According to its website, the Salon is supposed to be open until 6 PM on Fridays, and the placard on the door leading to the cellar confirmed that the Salon should have been open. However, on entering the cellars, a gruff unfriendly man shooed me back upstairs indicating that the place was closed. Several other visitors were subsequently denied entry as well. What a way to run a national wine showcase! Fortunately, I noticed a wine shop on the ground floor level that was open. A sign read "!!! Newly Opened!!! Castle Wine Shop." A salesperson explained that the wine shop was run by the castle itself in contrast to the Wine Salon which is a national institution, and that there was no connection between them. The shop offered at least 10 local wines for tasting. I tried two whites - a Moravino Valtice Palava, and a Jiri Kopacek Valtice Riesling, both excellent. Although the Wine Salon supposedly features the best wines from all over the Czech Republic, the wine shop features only local Valtice area wines, but these are really really good (and I've never seen them outside of the Czech Republic). I am rating the Wine Salon as unsatisfactory for its deceptive information on opening hours and for the really unfriendly individual who turned away several potential visitors. The Caste Wine shop, in contrast, is excellent, with a friendly salesperson, who said the shop is open until 8 PM.
Written July 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul B
North Carolina94 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
My wife and I took a self-guided tour of the cellars. For around $10 U.S., you can sample about 100 different wines that have been rated by local experts. All are for sale as well. In addition to the wines, you are given a basket of bread and bottled water (with places to refill). About 80 % of the wines are white and are the better rated wines, although my wife and I found a pinot noir that we liked very much. There is extensive detail on each wine with English subtitles. You can drink as much as you wantsuntil it closes for the day. A real bargain and opportunity to be educated on Czech wines.
Written May 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jiri U
Aschaffenburg, Germany29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2018 • Couples
If you want to taste Moravian and Czech wine at one place this could be your choice. 90min tour is already “hard” job😉.
Great wines and atmosphere.
Written March 31, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nickie H
Warsaw, Poland64 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2016 • Couples
We got the 90 minute ticket for unlimited tasting. We tried several white wines and a few reds (although whites were much better). You can purchase cheese to go with some bread which you wander (recommended). There is water to wash the glasses and drink along the way. All the information is in Czech which was a bit of a downfall but overall, they have some QR codes you can scan to get a bit more information in English. Located in the basement of the Chateau and it is well worth the visit. We visited from Mikulov on the train and then took the bus back afterward. Both very straightforward.
Written May 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

avalon2020
Paris, France3,431 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Friends
Fantastic activity for wine lovers - The hundred best Czech wines, all available to sample in a cool underground location.

There is detailed information posted for each wine, but almost all in Czech. We didn't get cellular service in the cellar, but downloaded Czech on google translate in advance to help out.

We found the white wines to be much better than the reds.

You can buy a stay of 90 minutes for 399 koruna (about $17) or 150 minutes for 499 koruna. This allows you to wander through the cellars and pour from any of the bottles on display (except the sparkling wine). There are also options to taste from a rack of 16 wines attached to dispensers. It seems you pay in advance (100 koruna or 250 koruna) and this gives you enough credit for a few tastes. You can also book a supervised tasting with a sommelier, for a group of at least 8 people, but you have to arrange this in advance.

Salon is open 9:30-5:00 Tuesday - Thursday; 10:30-6:00 Friday-Saturday; in summer, also open Sunday 10:30-5. Always closed Monday.
Written August 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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