The twenty-seventh annual Wine Festival—Vinohradské Vinobraní—took place at the Jiriho z Podebrad Square on September 8 and 9. The organizational process is under the jurisdiction of Praha 3’s municipality, which oversaw the organization of the event and had booths where one could ask about the festival and get directions around the place.
The festival is a tradition of winemaking: “We want to show that it is a typical field for Czech people and continue the tradition… This year is regarded more to patriotism and representation of our country,” says Jiri Hannich, Praha 3 municipality’s spokesman.
The atmosphere around the place is mesmerizing. Prague’s younger generations come from all over to try different wines and support small businesses. The beautiful warm weather allowed people to sit on the grass, enjoying the wine and melodic music with performers like Robin Mood and Charlie Slavik Revue.
Winemakers from Moravia and Bohemia came to show off their products. Family businesses are invited to the festival to present themselves and compete to win the Diploma from Praha 3 municipality. About 54 stands of wines, cheeses, and other food and beverages are placed around the square so that people can not only enjoy the wine from various parts of Czechia but also have tasty snacks.
To try the wines, participants bought or brought wine glasses, as Praha 3’s policy at the festival was: “Buy glass, do not waste plastic.” This is a very successful way to engage people in the environmental movement.
“You can buy glass with our logo… We sell them to spread anti-waste policies; this is the reason why we have glasses. Additionally, people who bought these glasses receive a souvenir, which they can bring home and enjoy some wine from a special glass,” Hannich said
On September 9, the winner was assigned: Vinarstvi Fabicovic. This is a family business with four generations of winemakers, starting in 1915. They come from Hlohovec, a municipality and village in Breclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Josef Fabicovic is the father of the family, leading the small vineyard of about four hectares. The weather in Moravia is perfect for the vineyards, making the process of winemaking easier.
“We want to make the best wine quality… With all the care to our customers, we feel the responsibility to make an actual good wine for them,” says Ludek Cihalik, ambassador of Vinarstvi Fabicovic. “Our true wish is to spread our name, build it; we are really passionate about our work and want to make people enjoy the wine and make them happy.”
Ludek shared the best-selling and best-tasting wines, such as Cuvei ze Sedmicky, Rulandske Sede, and Palava. The first one is the most popular from the family—a dry vintage with a note of muscat and chardonnay.
Families with kids were welcome, as Praha 3 municipality made zones on the territory of the square for kids and sports. Small bikes, sporting activities, and creative workshops with free activities to make souvenirs from corks were innovative ways to recycle cork and entertain children.
“It is an event for the neighbors. With the farm market selling quality products, we really want to entertain our citizens, show them the wine culture, and familiarize our people with the tradition of winemaking,” Jiri said. “This event is something bigger; we want to let people meet each other, make friends, and have a good leisure time.”
The unity of the district is one of the biggest goals the municipality wanted to achieve. People all around the district and city came to the festival, enjoyed premium-quality wine, and celebrated a tradition that was established in the Czech Republic and Moravia. Events like Vinohradske Vinobrani are an excellent example of how people could enjoy what they do: the workers of the municipality were happy to curate the event just as much as the participants were to visit.
