MAIN Wine Europe Czech Republic

Although Czech Republic travel is becoming ever more popular, the country's wines are still not well known in international wine circles. However, the wine producers of Moravia and Bohemia are working hard to change that.

High quality wines - both white and red - are beginning to win international awards as well as support from fans both within and outside the Czech borders.

By tradition, the Danube in southeast Moravia provides the warmth and moisture that add up to an excellent grape wine crop on the more than 11000 hectares currently under vine in the Czech Republic. In Bohemia, north of Prague, protected slopes along the rivers Labe, Vltava and Berounka tributaries of the Elbe river, provide a base for a smaller region comprised of only 400 hectares of vineyards.

White wines produced from Müller-Thurgau, Riesling, Wälsch, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner and Neuburger grapes make up a little over 74 percent of the wines. Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Sylvaner or Chardonnay are also grown, but these grapes account for a very small portion of the Czech whites.

The white wines are light, aromatic and usually dry and there are some very good sparkling wines available.

Red wines are produced from grapes such as Frankovka (Blaufränkisch), Vavrinecké (Saint-Laurent), Blauer Portugieser and Pinot Noir. A later addition, Cabernet Sauvignon, meanwhile is quickly becoming more popular with wine makers and drinkers alike.

More about Czech wines and wineries around the Web:

About Wine - This site is the home of CZeCOT, the tourist server of the Czech Republic. In depth information on the wines as well as the wine regions comes complete with pictures to send as postcards and other friendly offerings.

The Wine Salon of the Czech Republic - This is the official site of the Národní salon vín, the National Wine Salon, which offers cellar tours and wine tasting of all of the Czech wines. The information on wines is not overwhelming, but the links are fantastic.

For Great Wine Come to the Czech Republic - A bit of history introduces this review of where to go for wine tastings and wine festivals in Moravia and Bohemia with towns that are known for the wine fests, plenty of links and info on the Moravian Wine Cycle-trails.

The History of Wine in the Czech Republic - This site provides plenty of information about Prague from the tourist point of view. The article is a brief and interesting overview of the origins of the wines in the area with a few comments about where the industry is headed.

Czech and Moravian wines - A bulletin board of sorts dedicated to reviewing Czech wines produces some amusing critiques. It also offers a few suggestion for good wines to seek out...and some to avoid.

also see -> Bulgarian Wines | Romanian Wines | Ukrainian Wines