Czech wine cellars - enjoy the great wines from the source

If something is really popular in South Moravia, it is a visit to the wine cellar where you can enjoy the local wines. You can distinguish between two types of wine cellars in the Czech Republic - the small houses located in the picturesque wine villages or very large historical cellars and corridors in several towns. In both of them you can enjoy wine tastings right from the source or folklore night with live cimbalom band!

There are several wine villages where you can admire different types of these little cellars. They look like small houses and belong to individual families. Most of them are not open for public or they are accessible only in some periods of the year for special events called "opened cellars" or during the main summer season. These cellars have mostly two rooms in two floors - a pressing room is located few steps under the ground, further ahead there are deeply embedded cellars for wine storage - in barrels or bottles. Mostly the cellars are located in streets at the end of the village on the way to the vineyards and they were built during 18th or 19th century.

In every village you can admire different style of these little houses - some of them are decorated with beautiful traditional ornaments.

The second type of wine cellars is mostly located in bigger towns (e.g. Valtice, Znojmo) and their history is dated back to 13th or 14th century when the boom of Czech viticulture started under the rule of Charles IV – the King of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperor. The cellars have several floors and few kilometres of corridors which were used not only for wine storage but also for defence or as secret escapes underneath the city. They belong to castles, chateaus or monasteries and some of the passages are still waiting for their discovery. Nowadays most of them are used by big commercial companies for wine tours and wine storage.

They are also used for cultural events and you can usually visit them all year long.

The proverb says that if you put coin on the wall of the wine cellar, you will return there again in future - so if you have the chance, don't forget to do it!

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Tasting of Pinot Noir Rosé 2014

Pinot Noir is an old French grape variety, it is widely popular for its extremely variability. The cultivar is very demanding both on vine-grower's and winemaker's skills. It tends to bud early therefore it is susceptible to spring frost, the vine is also more prone to mildew and rot. In the Czech Republic it is the fourth most grown red grape variety, besides Moravia it is planted a lot also in Bohemian region, namely in Mělník subregion. In this area Pinot Noir has been planted already since the 14th century when Charles IV - the King of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperor, brought the variety from Burgundy.

Pinot Noir Rosé 2014

dry

Spätlese

10,8% alc.

residual sugar: 4,9 g/l

acids: 8,4 g/l

Moravia region, Znojmo subregion

Although rosé wines create a marginal part of the production in the Czech Republic, their popularity has been growing in recent years. This Pinot Noir Rosé comes from the winery Zamecke vinarstvi Bzenec - collection GRANDS VINS D'ALFONS MUCHA, from Znojmo subregion. Raspberry color with flaming glints, the aroma is fresh and zesty with notes of fresh-picked strawberries and blueberries. The palate is crispy with pronounced acidity with tones of strawberries, lingering in creamy yoghurt taste. Unlike most of the Czech rosé wines produced with residual sugar reminding of sweet jam, this rosé is dry giving the wine very brisk character. It is a perfectly refreshing choice for hot summer days!

This wine comes from a collection GRANDS VINS D'ALFONS MUCHA featuring paintings by world known Czech Art Nouveau painter Alfons Mucha. He was born in Moravia and produced at the turn of 19th and 20th century. The painter became famous literally overnight when in 1895 painted an advertisement for the Parisian play Gismonda for Sarah Bernhardt, the famous actress in Théatre de la Renaissance. The poster had such a huge success that the actress started a six year contract with him. 

Mucha's paintings feature often young women in flowing robes surrounded by flowers, the posters are characterized by pastel colors. Altough he produced lots of posters, illustrations, advertisements and postcards, his masterpiece is the so called The Slav Epic depicting, on twenty huge canvases, the history of Czech people and other Slavic nations.

The label of this Pinot Noir is depicting Autumn from the series The Seasons of the Year.
From this beautiful collection we offer also Welschriesling 2012 and Pinot Blanc 2012.

 

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4+ local grape varieties you can find only in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is located in cool climate therefore it isn't easy to grow here some widely popular grape varieties. This fact based a strong tradition of new cultivars breeding which has given rise to unique delicious grape varieties perfectly fitting the local conditions.

Moravian Muscat

The Czech Republic has a demanding colder climate conditions therefore there wasn't any suitable grape variety with muscat aroma. This gap in the wine market was filled in 1987 when Moravian Muscat was breeded by V. Krivanek. It is a cross of Muscat Ottonel and Prachttraube and the cultivar has gained wide popularity becoming the most grown local variety. Nowadays it is planted on more than 400 ha of vineyards. The processing of grapes and production of wine from Moravian Muscat is highly demanding both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The variety is suitable only for cold areas and the yields should be reduced to obtain high quality grapes. The cultivar contains low amount of acids therefore it is necessary to harvest the grapes in time and proces them by low temperatures with intent to preserve the acidity. It is highly aromatical variety, the high quality wine has a pleasant muscat aroma with fruit notes. The wines have lighter character and are not suitable for aging.
 

Palava

Palava is a highly popular native Czech grape variety which was cultivated in 1953 at breeding station in Velke Pavlovice by prof. J. Veverka – it is a cross of Gewürztraminer and Müller Thurghau. The breeding was finished in 1970s‘ at breeding station in Perna and registered to allowed varieties for wine production in 1977. The cultivar was named after the limestone massif called Palava Hills in Mikulov subregion. It is a rare grape variety, the overall area of vineyards is about 400 ha in the Czech Republic, but thanks to the high popularity, it is constantly increasing. The variety is quite demanding on fertile soil, on dry soils the yields are poor and irregular. At the appropriate slopes, the yields are high and regular with high must-weight levels, therefore the wines mostly reach higher Prädikats classes. The color of the grape is grey-red, therefore also the wine has usually rich, gold-yellow or even amber color. It is highly aromatical variety with character similar to Gewürztraminer, but compared to it, the spiciness is lower and more harmonic.

 

André

André is a local Czech grape variety breeded in 1961 in Velké Pavlovice by J. Horák. The cultivar was registered for wine production in 1980. It is a cross of Blaufränkisch and St-Laurent. It became popular for the regular yields and currently it is the sixth most grown red variety planted on 250 ha of vineyards. André wines are full-bodied, high extracted with notes of blueberries, blackberries and plum jam. The wines are very suitable for long maturing in oak barrels and further for bottle aging. The cultivar was named after a German pedagogue and scientist Ch. K. André who was a school director in Brno in 1798. There he founded the association for breeding and based the interest of gaining new hybrids.
 

Cabernet Moravia

Cabernet Moravia is another cultivar carrying the name of the largest wine region of the Czech Republic. It is a red grape variety breeded since 1975 by L. Glos from Cabernet Franc and Zweigeltrebe, it was registered for wine production in 2001. It was widespread quite quickly, nowadays the overall planted area is about 250 ha of vineyards, similar to André. The wines from Cabernet Moravia have rich ruby color, lower acidity and harmonic tannins with notes of blackcurrant, cherries or tobacco. They are suitable for aging.

Czech natural scientist are quite productive in terms of breeding of new grape varieties, there are plenty of other local Czech varieties such as Erilon, Agni, Aurelius, Fratava, Kofranka, Laurot, Lena, Malverina, Nativa, Neronet, Rinot, Rubinet, Veritas, Vesna... and new are cultivated every year. Some of them could be found also in neighboring Slovakia as they were developed during the times of Czechoslovakia.

In our offer you can find the two mentioned white grape varieties – Moravian Muscat 2015 and Palava 2014 or Palava 2015.

Which one would be your favourite?

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Double tasting of Palava 2014 and Palava 2015

Palava is a unique native Czech grape variety which was cultivated in 1953 at breeding station in Moravia by prof. J. Veverka – it is a cross of Gewürztraminer and Müller Thurghau. The cultivar was named after the limestone massif called Palava Hills in Mikulov subregion. This area is related to the absolute beginnings of viticulture in the Czech Republic which is dated back to the 3rd century. It is a rare grape variety, the overall area of vineyards is about 400 ha in the Czech Republic, it is planted only here and sporadically in neighboring Slovakia. The variety is quite demanding on fertile soil, on dry soils the yields are poor and irregular. At the appropriate slopes, the yields are high and regular with high must-weight levels, therefore the wines mostly reach higher Prädikats classes. The color of the grape is grey-red, therefore also the wine has usually rich, gold-yellow or even amber color. It is highly aromatical variety with character similar to Gewürztraminer, but compared to it, the spiciness is lower and more harmonic.

Today we are going to compare two samples of Palava from winery Skoupil – vintage 2014 and vintage 2015. The wines come from Velke Pavlovice subregion from neighboring vineyards in wine village Velke Bilovice.

Palava 2014

semi-sweet

Auslese

11,5% alc.

residual sugar: 35,2 g/l

acids: 7,5 g/l

Moravia region, Velke Pavlovice subregion, wine village Velke Bilovice, vineyard Nova hora

Palava 2014 has a beautiful rich amber-gold color, intense sweet aroma of acacia honey, elderflower and linden blossom with vanilla tones. The wine is full-bodied, rich and extracted, with spicy but smooth taste of vanilla, honey and ripe fruits - apricot, tangerine, gooseberry and pineapple.

The palate feels slightly oily and it is very complex, revealing different layers - reminding of a toast with butter and honey, sweetend jasmine green tea, also spices of Gewürztraminer are noticeable but in more elegant and smooth way, finishing in a long aftertaste. The residual sugar is very well balanced with the acids and spiciness, giving the wine extra body. Based on the taste and color, most of the people think this wine was matured in oak. But no way - this is just pure fruit and you won't believe it is possible.

 

Palava 2015

semi-dry

Beerenauslese

15,0% alc.

residual sugar: 9,7 g/l

acids: 6,5 g/l

Moravia region, Velke Pavlovice subregion, wine village Velke Bilovice, vineyard Predni hora

 

 

Palava 2015 is even higher Prädikat – Beerenauslese because the vintage 2015 was one of the best in recent years. Unlike usual Beerenauslese which is made into sweet wines, the winemaker has decided to experiment into non-traditional style with a high alcohol content of 15%. Gold-yellow color, the aroma is fresh with distinctive tones of linden blossom, elderflower, Gewürztraminer and muscat notes.

The palate is full but youthfully refreshing, with dominant gooseberry and dried apricots taste, with lively acidity and tones of citruses. The vanilla and honey tones are more in the background which is also caused by the youth of the wine, but in general it is more zesty, spicy and floral, therefore reminding more of Gewürztraminer than the 2014 vintage. Definitely it will develop further in harmonic, complex full-bodied wine, in which you can discover plenty of layers.

 

At this point, it is necessary to say we are not looking for a winner in this battle :) Both of the wines are excellent demonstration of this unique local grape variety but processed in a different style. As most of the people outside Czech Republic say, Palava has very special aroma and taste which they have never tasted before.

Palava 2014 has been very popular with our customers so now last bottles are available, therefore it is being replaced by vintage 2015. Palava 2015 comes in a new design – a white label with carved patterns inspired by pottery from prehistoric times which was found at archeological sites in Velke Bilovice. The pure white design is attracting mainly women customers.

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Tasting of Sauvignon Blanc 2015

Sauvignon Blanc is an old French grape variety, it is widely popular for its distinctive piercing aroma. The cultivar is not demanding on fertile soil, however it requires warm slopes because of its low resistence to frost. In the Czech Republic Sauvignon Blanc (locally called just Sauvignon) is the 5th most grown white variety and belongs to the most popular varieties for high quality wines with Prädikat. The changing of warm days and cold nights during the ripening period helps to develop a highly pronounced aroma. Czech winemakers usually intend to process Sauvignon in two styles - "green" with gooseberry, nettle and grass notes or "tropical" with dominant fruit flavors of sweet tropical fruits and citruses which are supported by some residual sugar.

Sauvignon Blanc 2015

semi-dry

Spätlese

13,0% alc.

residual sugar: 4,8 g/l

acids: 7,7 g/l

Moravia region, Velke Pavlovice subregion, wine village Klobouky u Brna

This Sauvignon Blanc comes from the winery Pavlovin from Velke Pavlovice subregion. Light-yellow colored wine, at the first smell the aroma is sweet reminding of pineapple, banana and papaya. After swirling, the racy aroma of citruses emerges together with tones of nettles and blackcurrant leaves. The palate is full of fruits - peach, pineapple, papaya, passion fruit and citruses with predominancy of grapefruit. The finish reveals a lively zesty acidity and herb spiciness, lingering in slightly bitter taste of grapefruit and lemon peel.

The acids are quite high in this wine, very lively tickling on the palate. This wine is a perfect match with refreshing summer dishes, suitable for pairing with Greek salad with olives or grilled fish.

In our offer you can find two more Sauvignon Blanc - Sauvignon Blanc Tropical 2015 and Sauvignon Blanc Green 2015, both with aroma testers on the bottle.

 

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