Although Czech wine is not very well known in the world
context, it has a long history and tradition. A brief look back to the history starts at the end of the 3rd century when the first vineyards were planted
in Moravia by Romans. The great expansion of
viticulture is dated back to the 9th century when the Czech lands constituted the
so called Great Moravia (Moravia Magna). In the 10th century it was further
developed by St Wenceslaus – Duke of Bohemia, a patron saint of the Czech
Republic. It is said that he personally had grown grapes for production of
sacramental wine. The grapevines planting was supported mainly by the Catholic Church
and its monasteries.
In the 14th century Charles IV – the King of Bohemia, Holy Roman
Emperor, contributed to a boom of Czech viticulture. He issued a law about tax
cuts for winemakers and regulation protecting Czech viticulture besides against
imported wines. He also introduced penalties for damaging of vineyards. The
boom culminated in the 16th century under rule of Rudolf II – the King of Bohemia,
Holy Roman Emperor, when there were about 24.000 ha of vineyards. Rudolf II had invited many foreigners who brought
new wine-making practises and processes. At that time also many wine cellars were
built, nowadays they are used not only for wine storage but also for very
popular tastings.
Afterwards the bad times for Czech wine came – the vineyards
were damaged during Thirty Years‘ War and endangered by new diseases imported
from America. The biggest blow was the World War I which meant decrease of the
vineyards area to only 4.000 ha. After World War II the communist regime didn’t
help to restoration of viticulture, the vineyards were part of the collective
state farms and the main focus was on quantity.
After the revolution in 1989, the viticulture has registered
a great reconstruction. In preparation for EU membership, in 1995 the country
passed wine laws modelled on the German wine law. The winemakers are
continuously upgrading the outdated winery equipment and have made a
significant progress in terms of quality. That they are on the right track is
proven by prestigious world awards and medals and of course our satisfied customers :)
Follow Check Czech Wine to learn more!
Sources:
Kraus V., Foffová Z. a kol.: Nova encyklopedie ceskeho a moravskeho vina 1.dil, Praga Mystica
Kraus V., Foffová Z. a kol.: Nova encyklopedie ceskeho a moravskeho vina 1.dil, Praga Mystica
Kraus V. a kol: Reva a vino v Cechach a na Morave, Radix
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