Table of Contents
Bohemia's position in the Czech wine industry is now largely ceremonial as it covers the picturesque and traditional end of production, leaving the Moravia region to churn out millions of gallons of wine each year.
Bohemia is divided into the two sub-regions of Melnická and Litomerická with a majority of vineyards concentrated around river systems, especially in the valleys of Vltava, Labe, Berounka and Ohre.
Terroir and grape varieties of Bohemia
Due to its landlocked location in eastern Europe, the climate of Bohemia is staunchly continental with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm, but temperatures rarely surpass 25°C (77°F). Snowfall is common in winter months, especially at higher altitudes, requiring vignerons to select grape varieties well-suited to cold temperatures.
In Melnická, limestone bedrock provides a rich source of plant-reachable calcium carbonate. This aids the retention of acidity and provides nutrients to ripening grapes as well as supplying a high level of water retention. Litomerická has darker, basalt-based soil types with vineyards found on the southern slopes of Ceské Stredohorí.
These are ideal growing conditions for Riesling and Muller-Thurgau, the two most populous varieties. Pinot Noir was imported from Burgundy in the Middle Ages and has done particularly well in Melnická. Saint Laurent, Pinot Gris and Blauburger are also commonly found planted throughout the vineyards of Bohemia.
History of wine production
Bohemia became properly established as a wine region in the late 16th Century. The first vines may have been planted there two centuries earlier, but it wasn't until the 1580s that Bohemia saw focused vinicultural development. The vineyards were, as now, somewhat fragmented and planted not according to the rules of efficient, intensive agriculture, but to the capabilities of the individuals tending them.
During the communist era in the second half of the 20th Century, almost all vineyards in Bohemia came under state control and intensive, collective agriculture became a priority. During this era, industrialization arrived in the peaceful, pastoral world of Czech wine: vine rows increased automated efficiency and allowed for harvest by machine. Bohemia was less affected by this than Moravia which remains visible in the current differences between the two regions.
Absinth in Bohemia
A footnote in Bohemia's alcohol history is occupied by its version of absinth, also known as wormwood bitters. This spirit is often grouped with absinthe, but is different in several critical apects.
The famous green, anise-flavored distillate is derived from Artemesia absinthium (wormwood), anise, fennel and other herbs. The Bohemian absinth (or Czech absinth) style is not distilled, but made from mixing herbal oils with high-strength alcohol. The herbal blend of Bohemian absinth typically excludes anise and fennel, making it quite different.
