Writer: Jonathan Gharbi de Maré
Poland's wine culture is flourishing and really taking off. Every year, more vineyards are added and the wines are getting better. We visit Poland's biggest wine festival, which lasts a whole week but many people don't know about it. Here's what you need to know about Poland's wine culture.
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Wine was already produced in Poland in the Middle Ages
Wine has been grown in Poland for over a thousand years and has been around since the country was founded. Before the Middle Ages, more beer was drunk and then vodka made its appearance and wine culture played third fiddle for a long time. But as early as the 15th century, Krakow, Lublin and Zielona Gora were described as wine-growing areas. We will return to Zielona Gora and Poland's largest wine festival.
The major events of the 20th century, the Second World War and the subsequent communism in Poland meant that wine production was restricted for a long time. It was only when communism fell that foreign investors dared to step in and wine culture took off in the 1990s.
After the Second World War, there were two wine regions in Poland and both ordinary wine and fruit wine were produced. At that time, grapes were mostly grown in the south, but the number of wine-growing areas increased and today we usually talk about four wine regions.
The most famous region is Lubuskie, which includes Zielona Gora and is located in western Poland, close to Germany. To the south is the Lower Silesia wine region. In the south-west is the Upper Silesia & Opole wine region around Katowice. The fourth wine region, Lesser Poland, is located just below Katowice and has Krakow as its capital. In Swedish, Lesser Poland becomes Lillpolen, but it is easier with the English terms that are used more often and about which there is more information. There are vineyards all over the country and even in northern Poland on the Baltic Sea there are a couple of really good vineyards.
There are currently around 500 wineries in Poland, but with the growth that is now taking place, it is not impossible that there will be 600 in just a few years. To get a perspective on the development, there were less than 200 wineries in 2017.
Warmer climate boosts wine production in Poland
There are several reasons for the boom, including increased interest in wine, but also the favourable climate that has arisen from the temperature increase of around 2 degrees since the 1950s and increasingly mild winters. Between 2018 and 2022, wine imports increased by around 30 %, showing how quickly interest has grown.
The total area under vines is not that big yet, around one thousand hectares, five times larger than the area cultivated for wine in Sweden. But it is increasing by about 10 % per year and, according to researchers, Poland will be a major wine nation by 2050.
Wine bar in Gdansk and Polish chardonnay
My first encounter with Polish wines was in Gdansk in 2022 at the Mielżyński restaurant, a legendary restaurant in the harbour outside Gdansk. Right where the Polish trade union Solidarity started, which then meant the end of communism in Poland.
During a lovely dinner with the owner and wine profile Robert Mielżyński, I tasted several chardonnay wines from Poland with great pleasure. It was really nice with balanced body and fine finishes and it was really the hat off for Polish chardonnay. Good wines are available for around two hundred crowns in stores and at Mielzynski there were over 700 different wines, definitely a must if you visit Gdansk.
How do Polish wines compare to the rest of Europe?
There are around 500 wineries in Poland and there is, of course, great variation in terms of microclimate, grapes and winemaker profile. Perhaps the easiest way is to look at which ones have won the most awards and medals from recognised wine judges. More than 120 wineries have won 10 or more awards for their wines, so there is plenty to choose from.
The four winemakers with over 100 awards for their wines are Turnau, Aris, Saganum and Equus. Choose one of them if you want a sure bet. There are plenty of wines that are in the class of good French and German wines but it all depends on which grape you compare. Given that the majority are white wines that are exported, that's where you should look for real hits.
What grapes do they grow in Poland?
The most commonly grown grapes in Poland are riesling, pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon. Most vineyards grow 60-75 % of white wines, so there are significantly more white wines in Poland. In Lubuskie, around Zielona Gora, for example, you can find chardonnay, riesling pinot blanc, gewürztraminer, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc and on the red side pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and zweigelt.
Poland also grows some unusual grape varieties such as marechal foch, cabernet cortis, rondo and on the green side solaris, seyval blanc, johanniter and aurora.
Poland's biggest wine festival: Winobranie in Zielona Gora
One of the biggest surprises for me this year was the visit to Zielona Gora during Poland's biggest wine festival. A wine festival that has existed since the Second World War but has become increasingly large but still barely known outside Poland.
Zielona Gora is located in the Lubuskie region, where wine has been grown since the 13th century. It is a small town of 140,000 inhabitants, which before the war belonged to Germany, as reflected in its architecture.
Winobranie - a week-long wine festival
The festival takes place in early September and begins with a parade and opening ceremony where the key to the city is handed over to a person dressed in the tunic of the winged god Bacchus. Bacchus and his helpers can be seen wandering around the city during the festival.
The streets are full of people and the atmosphere is great. We may not be used to it at home in Sweden, but despite all the partying and so many people, it is nice and good atmosphere in Zielona Gora. The main streets are filled with tents and restaurants with all kinds of Polish delicacies and local produce.
Several venues offer music and entertainment, and all those with something to show in the city are open or have special events during the week. If you want to experience some of this stuff, you need at least a few days. For me, who only had a weekend, it was far too little time.
Visit to vineyards outside Zielona Gora
It's a delight to experience the organisation of the wine festival. Subsidised buses take visitors to nearby vineyards for tours and tastings. The visits last 2-3 hours and you get to meet the winemakers and wander around the vines.
The closest wineries are Julia, Ingrid, Milosz, Zelazny, Na Leśnej Polanie, Vae Soli, Trojan, Bachusowe Pole, Stara Winna Góra, Winnogóra, Pod Lipą, Jany, Mozow, Cantina and Kinga.
Travelling in Zielona Gora
You should definitely visit the city during the annual wine festival as it really comes alive. Opening hours and availability are at their best during the festival. You should also take a trip on the River Oder, which flows just outside the city. There is a tourist office in Zielona with information on all the attractions in the area.
How to travel to the Zielona Gora Wine Festival?
You can fly to Poznan with Ryan air, for example. Then take a local bus to the train station in Poznan and then a train for a little less than two hours to Zielona Gora. There are several trains a day and tickets can be bought online or at the station, there are a handful of departures each day. Accommodation should be booked well in advance as many people visit the festival. 2026 Winobranie takes place from 5-13 September.
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P says:
Interesting and fact-packed article, fun to learn more about Polish wine culture! It really makes you want to go there.
22 October 2025 - 9:11
Karolina says:
Wow impressive with Poland wine production. Funny with all the facts in the article. Know that Poland has more wine festivals in different cities and this summer I had the privilege to taste the orange wine in Wroclaw at their Feta festival piwa, wina i sera. Beer, wine and cheese festival that I recommend you to visit.
22 October 2025 - 20:20
Jonathan says:
Thanks for the tip Karolina, I will book a ticket for next year
🤩
22 October 2025 - 23:06
Jonathan says:
Yes it's really something you don't think about, that Poland is becoming a wind destination 🙂 .. there is so much going on so in just a few years it will be much bigger.
22 October 2025 - 10:22
Anna says:
So interesting to read a foreigner's view about the city I live in 🙂
Not only can you visit the vineyards, there are also tours of basements of kamienica buildings (tenements) that were dedicated tor storing/fermenting wines. The guide tells you history of the previous owners, the production process, and the building. In some basements/tenements there are also small stands with a few wines to try.
I took a part in such tour last year, we received oil lamps (it was a late evening) and walked with them from basement to basement, i ended up walking through some streets i've never been to (despite of living here for 10 years), and also ended up in buildings i was passing by everyday, but never had a chance to go inside.
Overall, Zielona Góra is a great place to live 🙂 Thanks for visiting
24 October 2025 - 8:30