St. Martin’s wines to fill shops and restaurants next month

For the seventh time, bottles of St. Martin’s wine shall be ceremonially opened this year on 11 November under the patronage of the Viniculture Fund, furthermore this year in a still more magical numerical combination – at 11 am on 11.11.2011. Every year the popularity of St. Martin’s wines is growing, and with it also the number of winemakers and wine growing firms with an interest in producing and selling wines under the St. Martin’s brand.

“Wine is indisputably a cultured drink, and when this sublime quality is combined with freshness in the form of young St. Martin’s wines, success is guaranteed. St. Martin’s wines offer a natural path to quality Czech gastronomy. During the dozens, if not hundreds of St. Martin’s events, these wines act as a social lubricant, helping to bring guests together. And last but not least, St. Martin’s wines are also capable of captivating consumers and drawing them into the magical world of the countless aromas and tastes of all the Moravian and Bohemian wines,” comments director of the Viniculture Fund, Jaroslav Machovec.

When the Viniculture Fund first launched the St. Martin’s brand onto the market in 2005, 36 wine growing enterprises applied. Since then the number of winemakers and wines has increased dramatically. Last year the number had increased to 90 winemakers and firms, and over 1 600 000 bottles reached the market. It is the ambition of winemakers this year to break the 2 000 000 mark. This year 118 winemakers and wine firms are contending for the possibility of using the “St. Martin’s” logo.

St. Martin’s wines are the first wine of the new vintage. These are refreshing and fruity wines, which despite having matured for only a few weeks have succeeded during this time in obtaining their distinctive character.

Wines produced from the following grape varieties may bear the “St. Martin’s” logo:
• White wines – varieties: Müller Thurgau, Frühroter Veltliner, Moravian Muscatel
Type characteristics: pleasant, balanced, fresh, fruity, dry wine
• Rosé wines – varieties: Blauer Portugieser and St. Laurent
Type characteristics: pleasant, drinkable, fruity, dry wine
• Red wines - varieties: Blauer Portugieser and St. Laurent
Type characteristics: smooth, velvety, dry wine, broken-down acids

These varieties were selected for the St. Martin’s brand because in our conditions they mature earlier, and thus offer the required high quality of grapes within the appropriate time frame. St. Martin’s wines also feature wines of other varieties as well as cuvees, which are produced from a number of varieties.

“Last year the Moravian Muscatel variety joined the family of St. Martin’s wines, and very quickly gained popularity thanks to its rich, aromatic qualities. The collection of varieties of St. Martin’s wines is thus fully rounded and offers everything consumers can expect from young wines,” comments Pavel Krška, director of the National Viniculture Centre, which together with the Viniculture Fund co-operates on the co-ordination of launching the young St. Martin’s wines onto the market.

However, St. Martin’s wines are far from all wines of the above grape varieties which winemakers are able to produce before 11 November. First of all, St. Martin’s wines undergo a control by an independent commission, which evaluates whether the sensory parameters of the wine correspond to the required characteristics. The St. Martin’s brand may include only Moravian and Bohemian wines which meet all the required criteria. This year the commission shall meet on 25 October and 1 November, and by approx. 2 November the official results of all the wines which shall be able to boast the St. Martin’s Wine 2011 logo shall be known.

Thanks to the superb weather, the main wine harvest this year began in the first week of September. At present approximately 50% of the total quantity of grapes has been harvested.

“This year we are expecting an excellent harvest in terms both of quality and quantity of grapes. According to the first estimates we can state that the harvest could be within the region of 6 t/hectare (approximately 750 thousand hl), which is twice as much as last year and also more than the ten-year average in the Czech Republic. According to the signals so far, 2011 has the potential to become a vintage which will be remembered for many years,” explains Martin Půček, secretary of the Association of Winemakers of the Czech Republic.

The first opening of a bottle of new “St. Martin’s” wine takes place every year on St. Martin’s day, at 11 am on 11 November at ceremonial events in Bohemia and Moravia, in wine cellars and restaurants throughout the country, and ever more frequently also at home.

The “St. Martin’s” brand was registered in 1995, and since 2005 has been owned by the Viniculture Fund. This year, for the sixth time, the Viniculture Fund is organising the promotion of these wines under a single logo, together with the National Viniculture Centre. The “St. Martin’s” brand may be used by all winemakers registered in the Czech Republic who meet the stringent criteria.

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