Wine harvest festival - the most anticipated wine event of the year

Wine, food, singing, dancing, traditions and entertainment are the pleasant components of wine harvest festival! The most anticipated wine event of the year takes place on weekends in September and October. Both large and small wine villages prepare for this event rich cultural programme inviting wine lovers for this great time of the year.

Wine harvest in the Czech Republic takes place approximatelly from the end of August to the end of October, depending on the weather conditions in Autumn. The wine grower waits for the right time when the sugars, acids and other substances in grapes are balanced. The most important indicator for wine classification in the Czech Republic is the sugar content in grapes – that determines the degree of must-weight level as well as the potential alcohol content.

The programme of wine festivals include traditional processing of grapes with a hand grinder and press, presentation of folk dance and music, but at the same time modern bands and musicians attracting thousands of visitors. Essential part of the festival is tasting of wines from different winemakers and stands offering regional cuisine.

The wine harvest festival in the Czech Republic is necessary connected not only with wine but also with "burčák" - partly fermented fresh grape juice. It is typically made of white grapes but it is available also from red grapes, the alcohol content is around 4% to 6%. "Burčák" is widely popular in the Czech Republic, as well as in neighboring Slovakia, Austria and Germany. The right moment when it tastes the best is when the sugar and alcohol are balanced, tasting as sweet fruity sparkling wine. It has lots of vitamins and a Czech proverb says, it cleans the blood therefore you should drink the same amount as you have blood in your body. But one must be careful - the yeast continues to ferment and it might be too lively for digesting. The season of "burčák" is always awaited because it lasts only approx. 2 months.

The most famous wine festivals take place in Moravia – in the city of Mikulov, Znojmo or Valtice. But the tradition of celebrating wine harvest is also connected to the wine region Bohemia – the city of Mělník organizes every year wine festival which reminds of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, who highly contributed to the expansion of Czech vineyards and the tradition of wine-making. Another historical wine festival is possible to visit in Znojmo where you can see a huge traditional royal parade presented by 500 historically costumed people.

Unfortunately this great part of the year is nearly over but we can start looking forward to another milestone in wine-lovers year. The tasting of first young wine – St.Martin’s wine – comes on November 11 and it is a great opportunity for a bunch of wine festivals full of great wine and tasty food.

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