Our wine story
Our wine story
A scion of a vine represents the beginning of something new. In our desire to create new experiences, we at the Mond Gaming and Entertainment Centre designed an idea about a modern hotel, the first Slovenian wine resort.
Driven by a desire for new experiences, we at the Mond Gaming and Entertainment Centre created the story of a modern hotel – Slovenia’s first wine resort – which we began writing in 2016. This vision was inspired by the rich winemaking traditions of the local area. In Mond’s vine motif, numerous wine and other local specialties come together, offering guests a unique experience throughout their stay, encouraging them to explore the wine routes on both sides of the border, including the world-renowned South Styrian Wine Road, just a five-minute drive away.
The wine story through architecture
When designing the exterior of the Mond hotel, the Omnia Arching Architecture Bureau was inspired by the wine-growing environment and they incorporated the shape of a wine-making barrel with accentuated circular lines into the design of the building, which is reflected in all the hotel spaces. As the heart of the hotel, a wine bar was placed, which opened its doors in December 2016, together with an event hall, spa, 35 hotel rooms and 5 suites.
Rebstöcke statt Grundstein
When the construction of Mond Hotel started, we planted two vines at the construction site instead of a foundation stone. The godmother of the Slovenian vine (Laški rizling variety) is the Doppler Winery, while the godmother of the Austrian vine (Sauvignon variety) is the Polz Winery. Today, these two wines welcome the guests upon arrival at the Hotel, introduce the Hotel’s wine theme and illustrate the cross-border connection between the Slovenian and Austrian Southern Štajerska Wine Road.
The oldest vine in Mond
In the spring after the opening of the Mond Hotel, the vines were proudly joined by a descendant of the oldest vine in the world, the Žametna črnina variety from Maribor’s old city centre Lent, which was gifted to the Mond Hotel by the Municipality of Maribor. The oldest vine, which holds a Guinness world record, is more than 400 years.
The hotel vineyard
The Hotel vineyard, located on the slope under the hotel rooms, was planted in May 2017. 100 scions of the Muscat Ottonel variety were planted. Every vine bears the name tag of its owner, our loyal guests. Throughout the year, we happily and responsibly take care of the scions on their behalf. The four pavilions in the vineyard are intended for pleasures such as wine tastings, picnics with a basket of local delicacies and, for the most beautiful start to the day, a breakfast between the vine scions.
Opulent comfort, house flavours
At the Hotel’s reception, we give our guests the first sweet welcome from Monda’s confectionery, biscuits with raisins. In their rooms, guests are greeted by a typical Styrian welcome gift: a box with roasted pumpkin seeds, prepared especially for our guests in cooperation with a local pumpkin seed and oil grower, the Kocbek Oil Mill. We develop our own local flavours with a marmalade made out of Jurka grapes.
Opulent comfort, hotel rooms, and the wine story
A vine leaf is featured in all the hotel rooms and can also be found in the Hotel’s overall visual identity, To ensure maximum comfort while sleeping, we selected macerated 100% cotton satin for the bedding and extra-high beds with an ergonomic mattress.
Nine of the hotel rooms are distinctly themed around wine, each named after a renowned local winemaker. Upon entering these rooms, guests are greeted by the room’s name and a display of wine bottles on the wall, along with a welcome letter from the winemaker and a carefully selected bottle of wine. The wine rooms are named after four Slovenian winemakers (Doppler, Valdhuber, Dveri Pax, Gaube), four Austrian winemakers from the South Styrian Wine Road (Polz, Tement, Skoff, Gross), and the House of the Old Vine from Maribor’s Lent district.*
The wine bar
The wine bar is the heart of the hotel. In front of the bar there is a summer terrace, which has a connection to the hotel vineyard. The wine list features local Slovenian and Austrian wine producers, as well as producers from other Slovenian wine regions. Guided wine tasting performed as a form of wine duel game enables the guests to discover and compare the flavours of these superb wines, accompanied by some typical Štajerska and Styrian food.
*Our first house wine was bottled in collaboration with the local winemaker, Doppler Wine House, at the hotel’s grand opening. The white cuvée harmoniously blends Styrian wine varieties such as Welschriesling, Furmint, and Muscat Ottonel, while the red cuvée combines Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt for a fresh and velvety red wine.
Hotel cosmetics
The hotel cosmetics, intended to pamper all your senses, have the scent of grapes.
A spa with a wine theme
Relaxation is offered to our guests in the Sky Wellness Centre, which is complemented by two saunas, massage pools and a beautiful sunny terrace with planted vine scions and a view of the surrounding hills. We offer beauty rituals for facial and body care, as well as relaxing massages using grapeseed oil. The Wine Princess and the Wine King massage is our choice, which, after an hour of relaxation, ends with a glass of the house wine in the wine bar.
Styrian wine tales from the local area
From April to October, we organize free shuttle transports every Saturday along the Slovenian and Austrian South Styrian Wine Road (stops: Weingut Erich&Walter Polz, Weingut Tement, Weingut Gross, Heart between Vineyards in Svečina, Vino Gaube, Winery Doppler, Dveri Pax Wine-Cellar) so our guests can discover the local area and wine culture.
Wine packages for a good cause
Cross-border collaboration is a core part of Mond’s wine journey, forming the backbone of a charitable project launched by the Štaierska-Steiermark Rotary Club. Alongside winemakers and businesses from both sides of the border, Mond is proud to support this initiative, which aims to help young people from both countries on their path to a brighter future. By purchasing special “cross-border wine packages,” guests can contribute to aid for children from families in the Municipality of Črna na Koroškem, who were affected by the recent devastating floods.