Czech wine country
/I went to the Czech Republic to learn about their wines, wineries and wine making. I came home with some observations about life in the region... as well as a little bit of wine.
We were in the Moravia region of the Czech Republic, which 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. I mentally bisected the area into the two parts that we visited by the main highway leading south from Brno. 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 it's 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.
Valtice
Lednice
Mikulov
They're not always open.
Note to self... check their hours.
Unlike in the states where there is a reasonable expectation that you can get a meal at any somewhat reasonable time of the day, or season of the year, this was not quite the case. Europeans vacation in the summer, for weeks at a time and I felt for sure going to a somewhat touristy area, we'd have plenty of options. Turns out, many of the locals go on vacation then too... closing their wineries and cafes in their absence. So, finding a quick bite of lunch proved challenging many days (and lunch proves important when wine tasting is an all day activity).
The post office is closed for 2 hours in the middle of the day -- lunchtime people! We got in just before closing and the women were quite accommodating. They also (understandably) spoke no English and found two American girls looking for vast amounts of bubble wrap un-endingly hilarious.
Our hotel in Velke Bilovice offered us two, 2-hour blocks during which we could check-in. And we had to check-out the evening before our 6 am departure. They had a full service restaurant (which twice proved a good option for lunch), but stopped serving dinner at 8:30 (wait, what? I thought Europeans ate dinner late...).
HOTEL MADL
Alas, they roll on their own schedules. While sometimes frustrating for us, it probably means a happier way of life for them.
Live modestly
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 wine makers. 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.
Pavlov
They're very welcoming
These hardworking people are warm, genuine and welcoming. We spent time meeting with wineries, talking to wine makers, and we also spent time enjoying these wines with the 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.
Open cellar with the locals
I am curious to learn and understand more about how they live, and how now, almost 30 years after the fall of communism, they are thriving as a people and a culture. I look forward to going back, and not just for the wine.
