Visit Prague And Sample The Finesse, Control And Daring Of Czech Wines

In summer it’s best to wander the more central streets, plazas and bridges of the city of Prague in the Czech Republic between 8.00 a.m. and noon, before waves of visitors begin to coat these spaces after 11.00 a.m. Wander through Old Town (or ‘Staré Mesto’), then ascend to Prague Castle and nearby parks and winding alleys before riding the tram back to go shopping off Wenceslas Square for chocolates or books.

Prague is renowned for beer, so don’t hesitate to find an alleyway or arcade restaurant with a secret inner garden to enjoy lunch. I sat in a quiet inner courtyard off a bustling street near Charles Bridge at the Paneria Secret Garden (Míšenská 67/10) and ate delicious goulash soup with a Pilsner Urquell beer.

During a recent vacation to the city I learned that after lunch—to avoid hoards of Instagram starlets reveling before river view shoots, or wandering English crowds wearing stag party t-shirts—stop wandering and instead head to targeted destinations.

These may include The Kafka Museum, which includes black and white movie clips of old Prague—showing street sweepers and market vendors, bicyclists and streetcars. Next door to the museum is a little store selling all sorts of fresh gingerbread delights.

The Museum of Communism includes wall mounted videos (with subtitles) of Prague residents telling stories of life during communism. One lively book smuggler tells how each time police stopped him, he distracted them from searching his car: he once pulled out a race starting pistol and fired this into the air to demonstrate it was harmless. He was almost arrested for the act, but recalled how the officers never searched his car; another time he offered a fresh oyster to an officer unfamiliar with this food before swallowing one himself—causing the officer to retch before sending him away. Again, no one searched his vehicle for hidden books.

During evenings, sample good food and excellent wines.

Czech Republic winemaking can reflect the brazen spirit of a restless nation that bust loose from the confines of static repression. Precision, finesse, control and daring highlight this nation’s best vintages. Even an ‘ordinary’ Merlot can have unexpected heft, spice and power.

The Czech Republic is 30,450 square miles (78,865 square kilometers) in size, a little smaller in size than the U.S. state of South Carolina, and slightly larger than the country of Panama. Some 12% of the country’s population of 10.5 million live in the capital city of Prague. The country has two main wine regions, one clustered in Moravia along the country’s southern border, and another splattered in multiple geographical pockets in the northwestern region of Bohemia—known locally as Čechy. Southern Moravia is subdivided into four wine sub-regions: Znojemská, Mikulovská, Velkopavlovická and Slovácká, while northern Čechy is comprised of two viticulture sub-regions: Litomerická and Melnická.

There is a 2,000-year history of viticulture here, likely begun by Celts. The years between the 14^th and 16^th centuries were a ‘golden age’ for Moravian viticulture, although changes in the past quarter century—since the 1995 Wine Act was passed (which better integrated the country’s practices with those of the European Union)—have also been dramatic.

The most prominent grapes grown in the country are three whites: Grüner Veltliner, Müller Thurgau and Riesling, followed by Saint Laurent (red), Welschriesling (white) and Blaufrânkisch (red).

Ninety-six percent of wine is produced in Moravia, and 800 wineries are registered in the country.

For an excellent dinner with wine tasting, I was told to try Tiskárna restaurant. The atmosphere is loud and boisterous and the décor is Nordic lean. In 1928 this building housed printing presses for the nation’s paper currency. In homage to that era, the menu includes a section called ‘First Republic’s Dishes’ which are six recipes (such as porcini mushroom soup with kale, as well as date cake) taken from cookbooks printed between 1883 and 1937.

The menu also includes a special choice of two appetizers, three main courses and one dessert—each paired with a specific Czech wine. The wine list itself includes a map of Czech wine regions and a list of their representative grapes. I chose the 200-gram grilled duck breast and pear salad matched with a 2015 red made from the Saint Laurent grape (known locally as Svatovavrinecké) from the food and wine producer Skolni statek Melnik. These grapes originate in the northeastern region of Čechy, and sub-region Melnická. The wine made me consider a cross between Syrah and Carménère grapes, a slippery acidic beauty as energetic and vibrant in the mouth as Turkish wine made from Okügözü grapes. It oozes with aromas; think molasses and orange peels.

Two other red wines were as excellent as this first.

The second, from Obelisk Winery, is a 2016 red made from the Blaufränkisch grape (known locally as Frankovka). Produced in the southern Moravia wine region, this is a true beauty. Imagine Pinot Noir meets Gamay meets a small hit of white Moscato to produce a full tilt swirl of velvet acidity and buckets of ripe fruit in the mouth.

Next, from Melnik Kraus Winery came a Pinot Noir from the northern Melnická sub-region. This scorched earth and jammy Pinot is smoky and well structured. Tension between fruit, alcohol and acidity here is the main attraction—a feat no winemaker is going to pull off without being bold enough to push limits. This is a tipsy sailor adroitly clinging for balance without plunging into the ocean.

Another beauty of a restaurant (recommended by the hotel concierge) is Zvonice, located on the 8^th floor of  the Jindřišská Tower (also known as Henry’s Tower) in Old Town. Reserve a table, arrive on time and ascend by elevator. Summer sunlight streams through windows while Gregorian chant versions of modern tunes play—including Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven.’

Sit in a leather and oak chair. The service is impeccable and rapid; the atmosphere is low lit and warm. Diners—jacketed men and heeled and skirted women—sit below ancient wooden beams and pour decanters of dark orange wines within this ancient stone bell tower. Voices are subdued, manners are restrained and candlelight flickers across orange linen settings. The wine list is hefty and leather bound.

I took advice of the server and ordered a glass of 2016 Svatovavrinecke (which means: Saint Laurent grape) from Moravino Wines and drank this with rosemary flavored lamb cutlets with potato purée and beans. These late harvested grapes from the Moravia wine region are aged in oak barriques and attributed a national quality rating known as ‘jakostní,’ meaning the grapes originate from a single region, and from a state approved list of varieties appropriate to that region. This well-structured wine includes delicious tastes of cookies, treacle and brandy—a throat warming gargantuan beauty.

A more mainstream but still excellent restaurant is Mlynec. This has a spacious interior, and a relatively small porch from where visitors sit to look out at the Vltava River. At 7.45 p.m. on a July summer evening, late bright sunshine illuminated the river view. I drank a glass of Château Radyne extra brut bubbles from the Czech Republic (from the oldest uninterrupted producer of sparkling wine in the country since 1945). This blend of Welschriesling and Grüner Veltliner grapes grown on the Pàlava highlands has won its share of international medals.

Try the pairing menu. This includes Gervais goat cheese with lettuce, hazelnuts, strawberries and black currants, paired with a 2016 Ryzlink Vlašsky wine from Sonberk Winery. Ryzlink is the Welschriesling grape, which grows in the southern Moravia wine region and is unassociated with Riesling. It can be excellent to highlight Czech winemaking. This grounded, mildly acidic dinner wine includes minerality that slices through creamy cheese.

Next, Prague ham with peach, horseradish and caraway matched with a 2010 Rulandské bïlé (Pinot Blanc grape) from Kolby Winery, located in the Mikulovská sub-region of the Moravia wine region. This wine is easy drinking and lets food flavors shine. Next, the main course was a 7-hour cooked traditional Czech duck leg confit with red cabbage and butter-seared mashed potatoes. This was matched with a generous and hefty red, a 2016 Dowina Frankovka (Blaufränkisch grape) from Vinselekt Michlovsky Winery. This winery owns 308 acres (125 hectares) in the two sub-regions of Mikulovská and Velkopavlovická within the southeastern Moravia wine region. It’s a big wine for a grand dish.

For dessert, dulce de leche with Madagascar vanilla and burnt chocolate matched with a 2017 Tramin červeny (Gewurtztraminer) from Nové Vinarstvi Winery. A symphony of sweetness.

The best wines of the Czech Republic are inexpensive, bold and well balanced. Although I did not have time to meet winemakers, apparently many are intensely focused on their craft and quality. The best wines here are less focused on mimicking international stars than boldly accentuating unique local territories, and associated flavors.