Have you ever tried Czech wine before? If your answer is no—don’t worry, you’re not alone. Up until recently, we hadn’t either! But that’s about to change…
While exploring Warsaw, we stumbled upon Wine & People Warszawa, a natural and biodynamic wine bar tucked away not too far from the stunning Old Town and National Theatre. It’s an inviting spot with a cozy atmosphere, and what really caught our attention was their selection of sparkling wines—mostly from Central Europe.
Now, here in Ontario, we don’t see many bubbles from this part of the world. So we were intrigued to find sparkling wines from Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Serbia all in one place. But what really piqued our curiosity? A bottle of Czech sparkling wine with a striking label that practically called out to us!
Meet Syfany Nature Brut Krvavé Rosé
Thanks to the helpful staff at Wine & People, we got a quick crash course on what we were about to experience. The wine in question? Syfany Nature Brut Krvavé Rosé, a traditional method sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir and a lesser-known grape called André.
André? Never heard of him. But apparently, he’s a Moravian crossing of Lemberger and St. Laurent, thriving in cooler climates—sounds promising! This rosé was made using the Saignée method, with at least 18 months of lees aging. Given that Syfany is one of Czechia’s oldest active producers, we figured this was the perfect introduction to Moravian sparkling wine.
A Lesson in Linguistics… and Bubbles
Of course, no adventure is complete without a little language mix-up. While trying to confirm whether the wine was dry, we hit a roadblock. The Polish word for “dry” completely escaped us—but then we spotted the Czech word suchý on the bottle. Turns out, suchý also means “dry” in Polish, but for whatever reason, our Polish friend insisted on using wytrawne instead. Unnecessary? Maybe. But who are we to question West Slavic language quirks when we should be focusing on what’s in the glass?
Central European Sparkling: Worth Exploring?
This little detour into Czech wine has us thinking—there’s a whole world of lesser-known sparkling regions just waiting to be explored. And if this bottle is any indication, we’re in for some delightful surprises.
Have you tried sparkling wine from Central Europe before? Let us know—we’d love to hear your recommendations!