Small but diverse - wine regions in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is located in the mild continental climate. The diversity of the weather as well as its changing through the year enables to grow the grapevines only in some parts of the country. Thanks to the changes of warm days and cold nights, the ripening of grapes is slowed down which helps to develop and concetrate a larger amount of different aromatic substances. The country is divided into two wine regions – Moravia and Bohemia. The Moravia wine region in the south-eastern part of the country contributes to 96 % of the total vineyards. The Bohemia region is created by fragmented vineyards around cities of Prague, Melnik and Litomerice on the banks of the river Labe (Elbe).

WINE REGION BOHEMIA

The wine region Bohemia consists of two parts – Melnik subregion and Litomerice subregion. Melnik subregion includes the city of Prague and Melnik as the most important wine areas which have a great importance primarily because of a long history. Nowadays there are mostly tourist vineyards due to a beautiful location on the slopes around the river Labe (Elbe) and Vltava (Moldau). Litomerice subregion is the smallest subregion counting only 300 ha of vineyards. The most significant wine village is Zernoseky renowned for their excellent whites.

Beautiful vineyard under Melnik chateau

WINE REGION MORAVIA

The wine region Moravia is located in the south-eastern part of the country, spreaded south from Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, along the border with Austria and Slovakia. The climate is a bit warmer than in Bohemia with relatively low rainfall, on average between a half and two-thirds of the annual rainfall in Burgundy and Alsace at the same latitude, which has encouraged the expansion of organic viticulture. It is constituted of four parts – Velke Pavlovice subregion, Mikulov subregion, Znojmo subregion and Slovacko subregion.

Velke Pavlovice subregion is the biggest subregion but not typical - it is dominated by red grape varieties thanks to magnesium-rich soils and warm winds which facilitate the grape ripening. The prevailing soils are calcareous clay, marl and sandstone, the vineyard slopes have mostly south orientation. The most significant wine villages are Velke Bilovice (the biggest wine village in the Czech Republic with 700 ha of vineyards), Hustopece, Cejkovice, Rakvice, Kobyli, Boretice or Krumvir. The predominant grape varieties planted in this subregion are Blaufränkisch, St-Laurent, Blauer Portugieser, among the whites Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris or Gewürztraminer.

Vineyard near village Velke Bilovice

Mikulov subregion is situated around the city Mikulov and notable limestone massif of Palava Hills. The slopes in this area are appreciated as one of the best in the country – the calcareous soil gives a distinctive minerality to whites such as Welschriesling. The prevailing soils in Mikulov subregion are limestone, calcareous clay and sand, the vineyards are planted mostly with white grape varieties. The limestone-rich soil is granting the whites with pleasant freshness and crispiness. The most important grape varieties are Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling or Gewürztraminer. Also the local grape Palava named after the Palava Hills is grown here, it was developed in wine village Perna in this subregion, so it is literally at home here. Another significant wine village is Valtice. There is a degustation exposition of the best-rated wines of the national competition of wines from the Czech Republic in the Valtice chateau. You can find here also the oldest wine school in the country. The chateau is a part of Lednice-Valtice Complex which is a popular tourist destination placed in UNESCO List. Among the biggest wine villages are also Mikulov, Strachotin, Dolni Dunajovice or Pavlov.

Slovacko subregion is the most diverse one – it is more fragmented than other Moravian subregions, therefore you can find there various soil types and climate influences. The prevailing soils are light soils, gravel but also clay. Altitude has also significant influence in this subregion – in its northern part the landscape is more hilly with higher located vineyards. The predominant grape varieties are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Müller Thurgau, among the red ones Blaufränkisch, Zweigeltrebe and Cabernet Moravia. Cabernet Moravia is a local grape variety breeded in Slovacko subregion in wine village Moravska Nova Ves, also Moravian Muscat was breeded here in village Polesovice. Another significant villages are Bzenec, Breclav, Kyjov or Straznice. The area around Straznice is famous for its folklore festivals and traditions, you can find here numerous typical wine-cellars.

Typical Moravian wine cellar under ground

Znojmo subregion is the smallest part of the Moravia region, however it has a big importance in the viticulture of the Czech Republic. The city of Znojmo itself has a long tradition of winemaking, there is a complex of corridors and cellars under the city which were used for wine storage. The predominant soils are stony soil, clay, loess and gravel. At the southern part mostly white grapes are grown, typically Grüner Veltliner, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. The northern part is suitable for red varieties such as Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir or St-Laurent. Besides Znojmo the most important wine villages are Novy Saldorf, Satov, Hrusovany or Dolni Kounice.

Have you noticed WineHills offer wines from all four Moravian subregions? Check our winelist >>>HERE

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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 2.dil, Praga Mystica

Robinson Jancis: The Oxford Companion to Wine, Fourth Edition, Oxford