Mátyás Family Estate
Family tradition, organic viticulture, wild yeast fermentation and elegant wines
The Matyas winery was established in 2003. The Strekov region is Slovakia’s sunniest and warmest, providing perfect conditions for winegrowing. The winery follows the rules of organic cultivation respecting the two essential principles: tradition and naturalness. Matyas winery has been certified as organic since 2013.
The Matyas philosophy insists on sustainable farming, while increasing the precious biodiversity. Their goal is to apply a biodynamic farming method – the highest cooperation and harmony with the nature and the universe, performing required works according to the moon phases and the constellations. They do not use herbicides, pesticides or artificial fertilizers that would obstruct the minerals getting from the soil into grapes and wine.
The winery prefers traditional methods of vinification over reductive technology, cask fermentation and maturation. They do not interfere with the fermentation and development of wines; instead they leave it to nature. So yeasts, enzymes and other additives have been strictly banished from the cellars from the very beginning. The only allowed intervention in the production of wine is its slight sulphurization before bottling, or in some cases, filtration. In the recent years, Matyas winery has been increasingly producing wines fermented on their skins, and bottled without filtering or adding sulfur.
Vineyards
Drieňová hora lies in the center of the undulating hills extending between Štúrovo and Komárno. The area covers an area of approximately 12 hectares. This slope is on the first hillside from the Danube, only 5 kilometers away from the river, and it is completely open towards the river. That provides an influx of fresh and healthy air every single day and supports biological plant protection. The vineyards’ microclimate is dry, hot and windy.
In this excellent location, in 2008 and 2009 they planted some 12 hectares with the following varieties: Fetească regala, Sauvignon Blanc, Red Traminer, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Franconian Blue, and Danube.
Soils of their fields are loess and brown forest soils on limestone and sandstone base. Due to decades of arable crops and erosion, it has significantly reduced their fertile soil, making it difficult for the vines to take up nutrients from the soil, but on the other hand, it increases the mineral character of the Matyas wines, strengthening the terroir aspects, which is definitely one of their ultimate goals. The wines are complex, intense, mineral, fruity, and above all elegant, superbly reflecting its extraordinary terroir.
The Matyas winery strives for making its estate completely sustainable. In order to achieve this goal, they recently established organic vegetable gardens and also got engaged in extensive livestock farming, such as racka sheep and mangalica pigs.
