The designation Autentista, which may seem strange to some, is really a specially coined neologism. You won't find it in dictionaries because it was created relatively recently. It was coined sometime in 2008 by writer and winemaker Bogdan Trojak when he was looking for a suitable name for a producer of natural, unmanipulated wines. It is a trademark used or soon to be used by the winemakers featured on this website.
His intention was to connect like-minded winemakers, or persuade others, and thus create a community within which to share experiences and ideas related to natural winemaking. Slowly, this intention began to come to fruition. For a few years, Autentists were limited to Moravia, but in 2013, three winemakers from Slovakia joined the movement, making Autentists the first domestic wine initiative to reach out to colleagues abroad.
What's going on here?
The wines of our ancestors may not have been as refined and sophisticated as many of today's. But they were certainly authentic. And it is this authenticity that Autentisté has inscribed on its shield, united not only by the same regional affiliation, but above all by a commitment to making credible, handcrafted wines and, not least, by a deeper interest in the old wine landscape that they are shaping with their vineyards.
The rapid transition from traditional viticulture to modern practices has often erased or completely obscured the regional wine specifics. And it is not just the disproportionate application of various substances that 'enhance' wines. The resulting style of wine is also influenced by the abandonment of old, sloping vineyards, which are being replaced by flatter areas where vines were never grown. The consequence is not only softened, "overfed" beet wines, but also overgrown, bleak hillsides whose vineyards have for centuries completed the genius loci of the landscape.
Authentic winemakers concentrate on making wines using "non-invasive", traditional methods. Their goal is to create honest, nature-respecting wines that fully reflect the spirit of the wine country captured