Winery of the Year competition awards Czech vineyards from Prague to Moravia

2021 was an unpredictable year for Czech winemakers. Adverse weather in the first half of the year led to fears of a sub-par harvest, but improvement in the autumn led wineries to report a harvest of high-quality grapes with high sugar content and ripeness.

For some vineyards, 2021 was also a year of significant investment. One such winery, Reisten from the Pálava hills in the Břeclav region of South Moravia, took home the prize Thursdsay for Winery of the Year 2021 in the 12th annual edition of the competition organized by the Association of Winemakers in the Czech Republic.

The award was accepted by Ondřej Stejskal and Roman Frič from Reisten at a gala event in the Brno Observatory. At the event, they described their winemaking methods.

“Our philosophy involves treating vineyards with care, respect and a consideration for nature. This, and the unique Pálava terroir, help us produce wines characterized by a deep minerality and spiciness,” Frič said.

The expert jury awarded Reisten not only for its wines, but also for the quality of its investments making the winery a premium visitor experience. The winery is owned by the J&T finance group, and huge sums have been plowed into making the premises, as well as the wines, unforgettable. This has involved the creation of a new wine bar and a terrace providing stunning views of the nearby Děvičký Castle and the surrounding countryside.

“They did an incredible amount of work in the course of single year at Reisten winery. They have completed the reconstruction of the winery and have given it a concept; they have thought out where they are going,” said jury member Roman Slouk.

Reisten’s transformation into a top destination for wine lovers is in keeping with the wider transformation of the Moravian wine scene in recent years. The region has a long and rich history of winemaking, but private investments since the fall of Communism in the Czech Republic set it on a path to become a popular wine-tourism destination. EU subsidies since the Czech Republic joined the bloc in 2004 have provided even more rocket fuel for the nation’s wine industry growth.

This emphasis on development is the most important criteria of the Winery of the Year competition, and the reason for Reisten's victory. The top winery should be one which has exceeded current best practice in the field and pushed the nation’s wine industry forward.

As well as the overall award, Reisten won the medium-sized winery category. Prague winery Salabka won the small wineries category, while the architecturally stunning Lahofer in Znojmo won the large producers’ award.