A Wine Fairytale IRL - Moravia
A bit about Moravia that you won’t find in the Wine Atlas.
The Moravia region of the Czech Republic is about an hour and a half north of Vienna and about three and half hours southeast of Prague. The second largest city in the Czech Republic, Brno, is in the northernmost part of the area. On the west is the Valtice-Lednice area that is marked with history, once part of Austria, and sprinkled with castles and amazing estates. The west, while not without its own historical significance, embodied more of what I expected of the region. Practical towns strewn over the rolling landscape that supported the working people of the area as well as a healthy tourist population of cyclists and wine tasters.
Other than the massive estates of yesteryear, the homes were modest and practical. Smaller villages centered around the church and town square were defined by row houses and small single family homes, or apartments above storefronts. Tight, both physically and neighborly, communities that were surrounded by vineyards once overtaken by the communists, now redistributed to families and often times shared by many winemakers. Each row of vines carefully marked for it's caretaker.
For many, they travel to Brno during the day to work, and return in the evenings to work at the wineries. It's a labor of love and family for many of the smaller operations.
Everyone was supremely nice and extremely patient with our language challenges and our dependence on Google translate. These hardworking people are warm, genuine and welcoming. We spent time meeting with wineries, talking to winemakers, and also spent time enjoying these wines with locals at open cellars. Those who spoke English happily helped us navigate and learn, welcomed us to their community and shared their warmth and hospitality.
Take a quick trip to Moravia by checking out a few photos on our Facebook album here. The folks here work hard, but also take time to enjoy life. Its pervasive in their culture and it didn't go unnoticed. We can't wait to share these brilliant wines from Moravia with you soon!