How often does a group of winemakers get to completely define a terroir? It's a rare opportunity and they know it. However, unlike most other regions where natural winemakers have to prove themselves against the best conventional wine and legendary brands, in Czechia natural winemakers are virtually the only producers dedicated to making high quality wine. Winemakers have had to acquire their vines piecemeal from the few unwanted rows allotted to each family for home production during the communist era. Small, quality-minded winemakers were further hampered by regulations from the EU that limit Czech vineyard areas to historic levels and prevent the planting of new vineyards. Most recently, the “quantity not quality” approach favored by the communists was easily translated into the “quantity not quality” approach favored by the capitalists. Centuries of war and foreign occupation have continually hit the reset button on the region. “You're here for Czech wine? Have you tasted it before?”Īlthough Czechia is geographically and geologically little different from its neighbors Germany or Austria, history has conspired against its viticultural reputation. He handed us two small paper cups of black velvet. When we told him we were there for the wine scene, he was amused. ![]() The barista, a tall winsome fellow with sleeve tattoos and a beanie, chatted with us as he made our order. ![]() We saw a coffee kiosk outside of Smíchovské nádraží station on our way to the Botel Vodnik and headed that direction with no expectations or hopes that for a simple medicinal dose of caffeine. ![]() The bus that would take us to the metro, one of the finest in systems in Europe, was easy to find. The Vaclav Havel airport in Prague was nearly empty when we arrived on our Ryanair flight from Bordeaux, clean, orderly, and quiet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |