Wine country? Huh, wasn’t the Czech Republic the country of beer? The country where beer is cheaper than water? Yes, right. The Czech Republic is probably known worldwide as beer country and this is certainly a popular drink. But that certainly does not mean we should ignore the country’s wine culture! Because wine has also been brewed in the Czech Republic for centuries and you can find vineyards all over the country. Even Prague is home to several vineyards, but for true wine culture, you have to be in southern Moravia. And I’m going to tell you exactly where.

History of Czech wine

When we think of wine, we quickly think of Bordeaux and Burgundy in France, for instance, or Tuscany in Italy, but not necessarily the Czech Republic. But excavations around the village of Mušov in southern Moravia (south of Brno, near the border with Austria) show that viticulture in the Czech Republic already started there around the year 200. That is probably when the still-popular grape varieties Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling were planted. Two grape varieties for white wine, which to this day are still the most common wine varieties from the region.

Some 600 years later, viticulture also began to emerge in the west of the country, with the first viticulture in the town of Mělník, just north of Prague. From then on, the red wine variety Pinot Noir was also introduced thanks to new vines from Germany and France, where wine knowledge was already a lot higher.

Thanks to political events, viticulture in Bohemia, the western part of the country, took a big hit around 1200. But at the same time, things were actually going very well in southern Moravia, so viticulture was better regulated. In fact, things eventually went so well that in 1763, restrictions were requested from Austria in order to reduce the growing competition.

Yet disaster struck here too. Around 1850, the whole of Europe was plagued by phylloxera, an aphid that caused vineyards throughout Europe to die off. So too in the Czech Republic, where almost all viticulture was destroyed. But fortunately, better plants eventually came in return and it was actually a stroke of luck.

Today, you can find 20,000 ha of vineyards in the Czech Republic, 19,000 ha of which are in Moravia. Time to take a closer look at that region!

Wijnregions in Moravia

The wine region in southern Moravia can be divided into four sub-regions, namely Znojmo, Mikulov, Velké Pavlovice and Slovácko. As we are used to with vineyards, each region has its own unique wines. By the way, what you can find all over the country is Burčák!

Burčák

Burčák is a young wine available only at the beginning of the season, i.e. in September, maybe as late as October. It is often made from the grapes that are not considered good enough for real quality wine. This is then turned into wine that is immediately bottled. Plastic bottles with a loose cap, of course, because the fermentation process is only just beginning and this releases gas. If you close the bottle and forget it for a few hours, it is quite possible that your bottle explodes. So this also makes it impossible to export, making it a truly unique drink found only in the Czech Republic. (Some other versions can be found in Austria, for example).

The first bottles are almost alcohol-free and actually taste like lemonade. Slowly it ferments further, adding more alcohol to the wine. But it remains a young wine and therefore very sweet. So be careful not to drink it like lemonade, because you will really regret it the next day. After a few weeks, the wine becomes too bitter. So it will never be real wine, but is really a unique local drink that you can buy anywhere. Usually even just on the street corner at a temporary sales table.

Different wines are made from the better grapes in each region. Here’s an overview:

Mikulov

Mikulov is the region where it all began. This is where the first vineyards were found, so to this day it is one of the most important wine regions in the country. You will mainly find white wines here, mostly with a mineral-like flavour, due to the mineral-rich limestone soil. Popular wines from the region are therefore Welschriesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.

Velké Pavlovice

Velké Pavlovice is the largest wine region, with 4741 ha of vineyards. Despite Southern Moravia mainly producing white wines, you will find many red wines in this region. You will find here, for example, the Pinot Noir, Blauwer Portugieser, St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. But also the white wines Pálava and Moravian Muscat (Muškát Moravský), a specific wine from Moravia, are mainly found here.

Slovácko

De Muškát Moravský vind je ook in deze regio aan de grens met Slowakije (vandaar de regio naam). Daarnaast vind je hier de lokale rode wijn Cabernet Moravia. In dit deel van Moravië vind je veel water, waardoor de grond dus weer natter is en vooral goed is voor druiven zoals Silvaner, Pinots en Chardonnay.

Znojmo

The Znojmo region has the smallest area of vineyards, but is certainly not inferior to the other regions! The 3 main wines here are Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Red wines can hardly be found here.

Znojmo is the region I got to discover and which made me fall in love with the Czech Republic as a country all over again.

Znojmo wineregion

Our trip took us to the region around the cute little town of Znojmo. The town and the region are worth a visit anyway. But for wine, this really is a wonderful region! And actually, you don’t even have to leave the town to enjoy wine.

In the Enoteka Znojmo, you can do your own wine tasting. Here you will find all the wines from the Znojmo region and many more from the rest of the country. You buy a card with a certain credit, you can decide how much. Choose the wine you want to taste and pay with your card. Put the card in the wine dispenser, press the button of your wine and quantity and taste away! You can also buy the wines here, if you’re a real fan. And you can also grab a bite to eat in the cafe. From the terrace you have a great view of the surrounding area and I can definitely recommend enjoying the view during sunset.

Would you rather go to a real vineyard for a tasting? Of course you can. we visited several and they are all worth a visit!

Thaya Vinarstvi

Thaya Vinarstvi is unfortunately not currently available for individual tastings. This is because it is a brand new vineyard and they simply do not have the capacity for that. However, you can come here for a fantastic meal, accompanied of course by a glass of their own wine. You can also spend the night in one of the cute little hobbit houses that they rent out as hotel rooms. No need to drive after all that wine. You will find this vineyard on the edge of the nature reserve ‘Narodní park Podyjí’ and that is the inspiration of the vineyard. All wines are made ecologically and with respect for nature! You will therefore find a picture of an animal found in the park on all the bottle labels, and the name Thaya comes from the river Thaya that flows through the park. So if you are looking for a sustainable winery, Thaya is definitely worth a visit!

Vinarstvi Lahofer

Vinarstvi Lahofer is one of the largest wineries in the Czech Republic, producing 800,000 bottles of wine a year! In 2020, they opened their brand new building with a design inspired by a wine cellar and a roof available for outdoor theatre performances. The building alone is worth a visit. But of course, you are also welcome for a tasting. You can also do a tasting at hotel Lahofer in Znojmo itself, for example in the cellar connected to the city’s corridor system. Of course, you can also just stay overnight in this hotel and also without a tasting.

Interested in a wine tasting in the Czech Republic? Check out the options. 

Disclaimer: this trip was a collaboration with the Visit Czech Republic tourism board. However, everything mentioned in the blog is my own opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend anything if I didn’t actually enjoy it myself.