28/07/2023

The combination of wine, gastronomy and art

Spojenie vína, gastronómie a umenia
ELESKO is a long-established brand in Slovakia, known mainly to wine lovers. However, it combines much more - in addition to wine, it also combines quality gastronomy with a unique gallery.
It is a hobby and a passion for us. So that was also the reason for us to combine winemaking with art. Gastronomy itself can also be seen as culture and art. The production of quality wine is also an art. (Tomas Ledecky)

Wine

The Ledecký family began planting the first vineyards and subsequently building a winery, restaurant, and gallery complex in 2005. They harvested the first harvest in 2008, and a year later the first wine appeared on the shelves, still under the IN VINO brand.

They chose the Small Carpathian and Tokaj regions as their place of operation. Currently, they grow traditional grape varieties, newly bred, international and other varieties on an area of ​​150 hectares. They produce wines exclusively from their own harvest, combining traditional methods and the most modern technologies. "From the beginning, we tried to do things of the highest quality possible. We have our own vineyards, from which we make wine in our own winery, and we also have our own distribution. Being dependent on someone and buying grapes from them is advantageous on the one hand, because I only buy as many grapes as I need, but we are in the opposite position, that we can set ourselves what we want to grow, in what quality, what sugar content. The production of our wines begins in the vineyard. And it is these that are the true reflection of the diversity and uniqueness of each wine region, and therefore of the wine. I see this as our greatest added value. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that if there is no demand, you will have a lot of grapes left and you have to think about what to do with them. In our case, this means that we sell about 20-40% of our grapes to competitors annually," says Tomáš Ledecký, director of ELESKO. When changing the name from IN VINO to ELESKO, the owners were inspired by the name of the medieval guard castle Ostrý Kameň, which protected people in the Little Carpathians during Tatar invasions.

The guardian of the vineyards and the symbol of the brand is a monolith placed in the heart of the vineyards. The huge stone was imported from Spišské Podhradie and is said to be the largest monolithic sculpture in Central Europe. The owners also call it God's Eye.
ELESKO wines are now available in countries all over the world.

Art

From the beginning, winemaking was conceived as a work of art. Looking at the ELESKO Wine Park, whose architecture won the Building of the Year 2010 award, it must be immediately clear to anyone that something extraordinary awaits them when they enter.

In addition to the winery and restaurant, the building near Modra also houses the Zoya Museum, the younger sister of the Zoya Gallery in Bratislava. The owners are art collectors and it was natural for them to create a space for its presentation here as well. Visitors will find Slovak art from the second half of the 20th century, as well as art from abroad. The most significant part of the museum's collection is the Andy Warhol collection, which includes more than 130 works.

"The idea of ​​expanding our collection with the works of this pop art artist had several reasons. In addition to the fact that we were, of course, attracted by the popularity and uniqueness of Andy Warhol, we were primarily inspired by the fact that this world-famous artist has roots and origins in Slovakia. Even though the whole world probably knows his mysterious answer to the question of his origin - "I am from nowhere" - we know that his parents came from the picturesque village of Miková in eastern Slovakia, with traditional Ruthenian culture," says Iveta Ledecká, director of ZOYA Museum and ZOYA Gallery .
Among the rarest and most interesting pieces in the collection are paintings of Marilyn Monroe, a painting sprinkled with diamond dust, and the painting Male Torso, of which there are only four in the world. The exhibition also includes the Camouflage series of paintings, which Warhol created just weeks before his death.
The diverse collection has also attracted interest from curators abroad. It has enjoyed great success in Brussels, Baku, Krakow, Klagenfurt, Istanbul and Antalya, for example. Contemporary artists of European stature often exhibit at the museum.

"Every art collection arises from a private passion for a certain type of art. Ours, the collection of works at Zoya Gallery and Zoya Museum, was created with respect and admiration for the fine art of Slovak modernism and contemporary world artists. I believe that in addition to the personal joy of the collector from the acquired works of art in his collection, the joy is multiplied with each exhibition or publication. Our goal is to share a unique artistic experience with visitors," invites Iveta Ledecká.

Gastronomy

After the artistic experience at the Zoya Museum, you can also delight your other senses during a visit to the ELESKO Wine Park. In the restaurant and bar you can taste honest home-made cuisine of extraordinary quality. Combine it with a unique wine and after a good lunch or dinner you can see and learn about the entire winemaking process through the glass corridor.
The restaurant is often used for celebrations, conferences and weddings . You can book a wine tasting here, or even stay in luxury apartments and end the day with a walk in the vineyards. We would like to thank ELESKO Wine Park Modra for providing space for the photo shoot of our summer collection .

28/07/2023