Winemakers and government representatives gathered at the first national wine congress

The first part of the programme was addressed by the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Prof. Petr Fiala, PhD, LL.M., who perceived the importance of the field for the entire republic. He expressed his full support to the winemakers and appreciated especially the fact that they were able to meet together and discuss their common future, regardless of the diversity of opinions. Thanks to this approach, the government has a clear partner who will help to find measures that will help winegrowers in the long term. This was followed up in his speech by the Minister of Agriculture, Ing. Zdeněk Nekula and Minister of Health Prof. MUDr. Vlastimil Válek, CSc., MBA, EBIR.

"The congress brought together a really wide range of subjects, from the smallest winegrowers to wineries with production in millions of litres of wine.Representatives of various wine associations listened to and were addressed by legislators and key government officials. I am pleased that politicians not only accepted our invitation, but that the Prime Minister and Ministers found common ground and interest in developing and supporting our industry. A future based on prosperity requires cooperation from everyone and across all levels affected by viticulture and wine production. That is also why we want to repeat this format and make it happen at least once every four years," said Martin Chlad, PhD, President of the Union of Winegrowers of the Czech Republic, who organized the congress and interpreted the views of the wine community . Concrete steps must now follow to confirm this will and turn it into tangible results," added Martin Chlad.

The second part

The second part was devoted to professional issues, and prominent representatives of the field presented their contributions. It started with the winemaker and leading Czech expert in the field of viticulture, viticulture and grape breeding Doc. Ing. Miloš Michlovský, Dr.Sc. on the importance and possibilities of grape breeding in current conditions. He was followed by Vilém Kraus, a renowned viticulturist and grafted vine seedling grower with the topic of greening, resistant varieties, system of efficient work in the vineyard, sustainable techniques, etc. Furthermore, Prof. Ing. Mojmír Baroň, Ph.D., Head of the Institute of Viticulture and Enology at the Mendel Faculty of Science, who presented sustainable wine production, modern technologies and the possibilities of applied research. The session was closed by the National Sommelier of the Czech Republic Klára Kollárová with her contribution on the topic of wine and its opportunities in the domestic and international context and social responsibility. This was followed by a discussion area, which was open to the audience, and a social part, where Moravian and Czech wines were tasted.food, and quality foodstuffs awarded with the Regional Food and Klasa labels were available for tasting, facilitated by the State Agricultural Intervention Fund (SZIF).

The legacy of Prof. Ing. Vilém Kraus CSc.

An integral part of the programme was also the mention and promotion of the legacy of Prof. Ing. Vilém Kraus CSc, the father of viticulture in the Czech Republic. The Congress thus kicked off a series of events that will further commemorate this legacy over the next year and a half, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth.

The event was attended and by virtue of their position they also expressed their competence and readiness to further cooperate with the wine industry in jointly creating the future and especially its progress Ing. Michal Kučera - Chairman of the Agricultural Committee of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Mgr. Jan Grolich - Governor of the South Moravian Region, Ing. Daniel Jurečka - Central Director of the Central Inspection and Testing Institute of Agriculture, Ing. Martin Klanica - Central Director of the State Agricultural and Food Inspection and Ing. Petr Dlouhý, MBA - Director General of the State Agricultural Intervention Fund.

The Congress was organised by the Union of Winegrowers of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the National Wine Centre and the Faculty of Horticulture of Mendel University in Brno, with significant support from the Wine Fund of the Czech Republic and the South Moravian Region. The event was held under the auspices of the Minister of Agriculture Zdeněk Nekula. The general partner was Vinařský raj, a shop with everything a winemaker needs.

More information can be found at www.svcr.cz or on Facebook.