SPIELBERG, Winery of the Moravian Tuscany
What was your journey into wine like?
Every beginning is difficult, but often it’s also a matter of chance and timing. I’ve always liked wine—since childhood I spent my summers with my aunt in nearby Nížkovice, right on the imaginary border between wine and slivovitz.. Over time, I came into contact with wine importers, especially of French wines, and I got to know Zlatko Mička and Diana Sixtová. (Both are among the top sommeliers in the Czech Republic. Their company specializes in importing French wines. Zlatko Mička is vice president of the Czech Sommelier Association and a member of the Commanderie du Bontemps Médoc et Graves Bordeaux, editor’s note.)And then came that bit of luck I mentioned. In the neighboring village of Žarošice, during the socialist era, there was a collective farm (JZD) that included 60 hectares of vineyards. When it went into bankruptcy, some locals approached me and asked if there was any way to save the vineyards.At the time, I thought it would be a small winery I could take care of myself, a nice complement to my legal practice. So I said yes. But once I got there, I realized it wouldn’t be that simple. It was 2002, and I said to myself—this is a challenge, let’s see what I can do with it and how I can elevate it. So I bought it from the bankruptcy trustee. And maybe it was a good thing I had no idea what all it would involve. I’m not saying I would have changed my mind, but it definitely changed my life.
What condition was the wine production and grape variety structure in?
At the time, wine production at the collective farm (JZD) consisted of making wine from their own grapes. The vines were between 30 and 50 years old, but most had been heavily overused. The entire production was focused on bulk wine. Part of the harvest was also sold to Bohemka or Bzenec. For example, Riesling from Archlebov was used in Bzenecká lipka. People even used to say that Bzenecká lipka couldn’t be as good anymore because it no longer contained Riesling from Archlebov. Some vineyards had what we called a “co-op blend.” Those were the first ones we cleared and replanted.We focused heavily on vineyard planning. We preserved only a few varieties—such as Blaufränkisch and Zweigeltrebe—which today are almost sixty years old. We planted new vineyards in 2004. Since then, we’ve been reconstructing and replanting part of the vineyard area each year. Our flagship variety is Riesling, which we’ve planted on three of our vineyards.
Is it suitable for us to introduce an appellation system like in France—respecting certain technological procedures and planting only those grape varieties that truly belong here?
In Burgundy, for example, it’s the result of a long evolution. In the end, they mainly grow two varieties—Pinot Noir and Chardonnay—while others, including the indigenous Aligoté, play only a supporting role. But here in Moravia, we’ve historically had 9 to 15 different varieties, and you can’t simply say, “If you don’t plant Riesling, nothing else will grow well here.” Besides Riesling, Pinot Blanc thrives in our vineyards, and we have excellent Chardonnay vines, mainly thanks to the fact that we imported clones from Puligny-Montrachet from the renowned grower Jean-Luc Pascal. So we carefully consider what to plant, how to handle it, and how to bring the vineyard into balance. From the very beginning, we stopped using herbicides and pesticides. Today, half of our vineyards are BIO certified. On all of our vineyards, we fertilize only with organic materials and spray with organic substances. The hardest part is the manual weeding. “If you want to sip, you have to dig.” (laughs)
But back to the appellation system. Yes, certain varieties with historical background definitely belong in certain areas and preferred vineyards. And I don’t mean just the last ten or twenty years—I’m talking about a long historical perspective. From a global wine perspective, Moravia is a very small region. And to say we should grow only five varieties here—what would happen to all the others? Should they be uprooted? Vineyards with a strong reputation could certainly be placed in a higher classification tier, and I support that idea. But that doesn’t automatically mean a winemaker will produce the best wine from them. Not necessarily. Sometimes you’re surprised that even a wine from a famous vineyard isn’t the best. There are plenty of such examples even in France.
Are red grape varieties suitable for Moravia, given that Merlot is currently doing quite well here?
From the very beginning, I’ve believed that Moravia has the potential to produce high-quality red wines. Traditional varieties like Blaufränkisch (Frankovka), Blauer Portugieser (Modrý Portugal), or St. Laurent (Svatovavřinecké) have always been grown here. Personally, I have great faith in Pinot Noir (Rulandské modré).Everyone is slowly returning to it, even though it’s one of the most demanding varieties when it comes to early harvest, vineyard work, and understanding it as a whole. You have to know exactly when to harvest—timing the right weather conditions is crucial. That’s much more challenging here than in Burgundy. For instance, temperature swings or unpredictable shifts between drought and rainfall have become a recent issue. And even in the cellar, Pinot Noir is a complicated variety to work with. But despite all this, it thrives very well here.
Where is wine born – in the vineyard or in the cellar?
In the mind. Winemakers need to have a vision and truly understand the vineyard. They must know what’s possible in each location, understand the soil composition and the historical context. Here, references to local vineyards date back to the 13th century, when Queen Elizabeth Richeza (widow of Wenceslas II) granted them to a Cistercian convent that existed here at the time. The wine from this area was supplied to nearby noble courts and the Velehrad monastery. It’s impossible to say which grape varieties were cultivated back then. Even at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Sylvaner was still widely grown here. And from the 1970s to the 1990s, there was a lot of Müller-Thurgau and Neuburger. We no longer grow Müller-Thurgau, and we haven’t yet dared to plant Neuburger again, because it tends to suffer from problematic diseases. We’ve based our choices on the idea that people who enjoy Riesling also tend to like Sylvaner. So far, we’ve planted about 3.5 hectares of it.
What brings you the greatest joy?
The work and care for the vineyards. It’s an endless process that may seem repetitive, yet every year is different. What’s unique is that you only get one shot each year. If it turns out well, you’re happy; if it doesn’t, you’re a bit less happy. There’s no second chance. And here I must mention the recent debates about various possible taxes. I’m glad that’s behind us now. Wine isn’t something you cook up. You can’t just create a different batch every month, toss in some plantain, and “improve” it… You have only one unique year, and weather conditions play a major role. It starts in January and runs the full twelve months.
Cuvée or varietal wines?
We primarily focus on varietal wines. However, we also produce two interesting cuvées, the most renowned being Petit Chat – from the Maliny vineyard, specifically the Dolní Malény site. (Petit chat, pronounced petysha, means “little cat,” and legend has it that Napoleon’s soldiers used this term to refer to the local girls. There’s even speculation that this phrase is the origin of today’s pejorative term for the female pubic area, editor’s note). Petit Chat was awarded Gold at the Prague Wine Trophy 2023, confirming its high quality. It’s a harmonious blend of three grape varieties – Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier. (The name meunier means “miller” in French; this variety belongs to the Pinot family and is commonly used in sparkling wine cuvées. The name comes from the white, flour-like coating on its leaves, editor’s note).
Do you believe in bubbles?
We do. We’ve been focusing more and more on sparkling wines. We produce them using the traditional method – méthode champenoise – and, similar to Burgundy and Alsace, we call it crémant. Our Crémant de Spielberg has the same composition as Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Meunier. (Crémant is a sparkling wine made with the same secondary fermentation method as Champagne, though it may use different grape varieties and has slightly lower bottle pressure, resulting in a more delicate effervescence, editor’s note).
Do you adapt to customer demand, or do you guide the consumer your own way? Recently, for example, authentic wines have become trendy.
I wouldn’t dare say that we try to shape our customers to our image. We make wines that we ourselves must enjoy first, and we trust that our tastes will influence our customers as well. We don’t follow trends just to make crowd-pleasing wines at any cost. Of course, from time to time, we cater to gastronomy — that’s nothing unusual. A co se týká autentických vín: Já je rád ochutnám, ale nevypiju celou lahev. As for natural wines: I like to taste them, but I wouldn’t drink the whole bottle. I always say that if you can’t drink a whole bottle of a wine, it probably shouldn’t have been made. On the other hand, I do appreciate authentic wines — but only if they were made with real intent, not as a marketing gimmick. Because for a truly authentic wine, one that stays on the skins for a long time, you need very high-quality, clean grapes, a lot of care, and constant attention to detail. You really have to know what’s going on in there. We’ve also made three lovely vintages of orange wine using the natural approach — but only in small batches, just so we could say: this is authentic, and it’s actually drinkable.
Does wine belong on our table every day?
It does—but don’t tell that to certain doctors. I’m saddened by the recent surge of general opposition to alcohol, and the attempts to push wine into that same “problematic” category. Professor Šamánek, may he rest in peace, wouldn’t be pleased. And I believe another leading physician, Professor Pirk, would agree with me. Wine is about mood and setting. It can be a daily companion in life, just like it is for the French. Different wines suit different moments—winter evenings call for something else than hot summer days. I don’t favor one particular grape variety, and I don’t drink only our wines—I appreciate the wines of my fellow winemakers, too.The same applies to food. With everyday meals, go for light, simple wines; with haute cuisine, something from the top shelf. You can’t drink premium wines every day—not only because of the price, but because they’d lose their specialness.And yes, you can even drink wine just to quench your thirst. A wine spritzer, for example—there’s nothing shameful about that. But even that should be made with good wine.
Do you place importance on awards from wine exhibitions, such as the Wine Salon in Valtice?
I believe that what is sometimes showcased at the Wine Salon isn’t a true reflection of Moravian wine. Let me share two stories. The first goes back twenty years: I was attending tasting exams with Professor Steidl in Klosterneuburg. He was teaching us how to identify wine faults—and to do so, he chose some wines from the Valtice Wine Salon. The second story is recent. I visited Valtice again—it’s undergone significant changes and received major investments. The occasion was a gathering of winemakers with Vlado Mrva (a renowned Slovak winemaker and oenologist), who gave an excellent lecture. At the end, he presented three wines from the Wine Salon during a tasting. He didn’t say where the wines were from (all were Moravian). After the first sips, a few winemakers asked: “Why are you pouring us this kind of wine?” JOne of the wines was an incredibly thin, weak, nearly translucent Pinot Noir. It was clean—no fault—but also no reason for it to be in the Salon. It would be fine as table wine, but not for the Salon. Then there was a problematic Chardonnay that also left us puzzled. So, twenty years later, same story. The Czech Wine Salon – National Wine Centre costs a lot of money but doesn’t reflect the true quality of Moravian wines. That quality is certainly higher than what’s presented in Valtice. On the other hand—it’s in a beautiful location and worth visiting as a tourist spot. (smiles)
Author: Martin Severa
Prague Wine Trophy
For example, in 2024 their Chardonnay GOURMET 2022 received the Prague Premium Gold award. In previous years, other wines from this winery have earned prestigious accolades as well. In 2021, their Pinot Blanc ORANGE 2017 was awarded the Prague Platinum Medal, the highest possible honor in this competition.
