Vinařství Lahofa

Czech

“The school is the first step toward the state. What you want to see in the nation, you must first put into the schools.”

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

I did not sleep well. The pillow was terrible, and the light from the air conditioner shone like Eta Carinae. My retinas barbequed.

I stoically catapult out of bed. After a coffee, I feel ready for a morning walk.

Shell takes the lead. This means we will be randomly crossing the city, often on the same path in some pattern only available to her.

Znojmo has an ancient old town, and we get a few photos. There is a fruit market, and I grab some cherries and blueberries. But no apricots, which was the reason I went to the stall in the first place.

Porridge for breakfast and a slow morning.

“Time drips, heavy, slow…”

Albert Camus

It was only thirty years ago that the vineyards of the Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia, belonged to the communist regime. Miloš Jakeš in his government owned it all. I have no idea how the land and the vines were broken under Václav Havel and his democratic rule. Under restitution, land was given back to historical owners; disputes continue to this day, thirty years later, as oligarchs and their families use wealth and influence to claim what they can.

Vinařství Lahofa is one of the largest single-vineyard holders in the Czech Republic. Whether this came about through shrewd business, a large family inheritance, or corruption, none can tell me.

The winery and cellar door are extensive and stunning. An amphitheatre that holds two concerts a week for over a thousand people. The design of the building was created in the Brno studio of Ondřej Chybík and Michal Krištof. The organic shape of the “concrete wave” rolls inside and out.

The cellar door sits in the heart of the U Hájku vineyard, but the thing is, no one knows this. No one knows where any of the vineyards are throughout the Czech. The tasting notes have the vineyard name, but the staff can’t point out the general direction of the plots. Over 480 hectares of vines just in the Znojmo region.

Forgetting the history, Jiří Lancman has been making wine at Vinařství Lahofa for over twenty years, and the current line up is first class. Excellent expression of the grape and clear differences across site and vintage.

We tasted –

2023 Vinařství Lahofa U Hájku vineyard Riesling AOC – Znojmo, Czech

2024 Vinařství Lahofa Lampelberg vineyard Grüner Veltliner AOC – Znojmo, Czech

2024 Vinařství Lahofa Lampelberg vineyard Pinot Gris AOC – Znojmo, Czech

2022 Vinařství Lahofa U Hájku vineyard Pálava AOC – Znojmo, Czech

All very good wines, particularly the Pálava, a hybrid of Gewürztraminer and Müller produced in 1953 by Josef Veverka. Rarely seen outside of Czech and Slovakia, it carries the mouthfeel and spice of Gewürtz and an almost Riesling like acidity.

We head home for some lunch and have a lazy afternoon.

The afternoon wears on, and thirst becomes an issue. Our hosts have given us a bottle of their homemade wine, and it would be rude not to thank them by drinking it.

An unlabelled bottle with 2020 Neuburské written down the side. It pours clean, so it appears well made. The nose is floral and smells like orange blossom. It reminds Shell of the Sylvaners we were drinking in Alsace.

This is our first Neuburské, and it is very impressive. The grape represents 2.3% of vines planted worldwide, of which 2% grow in Austria’s Wachau Valley.

So here we are, in Czech, drinking our first Neuburské, where it doesn’t grow. Shell has the bragging rights once again; Neuburské is a close relative of Sylvaner.

Note: Earlier today, with no background information, she mentioned the Pálava reminded her of Gewürztraminer.

We finish the bottle and leave for dinner at Wine bar Chatka. A nice place with outdoor seating. It is a mild evening, perfect for wine.

We share four wines, all very good. The Sauvignon is the pick. Aged in concrete amphorae, it is dense and complex.

To go with the wines, traditional crackling spread – made with homemade crackling, eggs, cucumbers, onions, garlic and mustard. Served with fresh bread and bacon cream – bacon cream made from Moravian bacon, fried onions, browned lard and honey. Served with fresh pastries.

The wines –

2022 Zeltlínské Zelené Special Barrel Reserva Sauvignon – Znojmo, Czech

2022 Zeltlínské Zelené Rýnskŷ Reisling – Znojmo, Czech

2021 Wlašský Reserva Riesling – Znojmo, Czech

2024 Moravian Wine Stošíkovice Vineyard Riesling – Znojmo, Czech

We try to get a table at a few places, but they are all busy. In the end, Shell grabs a soup, and I get a burger at Bernards.

Home. Bed. Tired.

“the tired sunsets and the tired
people –
it takes a lifetime to die and
no time at
all.”

Charles Bukowski