The Litoměřice sub-region

During the Middle Ages Litoměřice was, after Prague, the biggest wine town in the Czech lands. There were 400 ha of vineyards registered in its cadaster and vineyards were everywhere in the locality, especially in the Elbe valley. In 1251 in nearby Žernoseky the Cistercians dug out massive wine cellars and planted vineyards along the romantic part of the valley where the Elbe enters the Czech central mountain range through the gorges known as Porta Bohemica (Česká brána - the gateway to Bohemia). The vineyards of Žernoseky were always renowned for their excellent white wines made from the Riesling, Pinots Blanc and Gris and also the Müller-Thurgau grape varieties, especially from the slopes of the Lovoš hill. The subsoils of the vineyards of Litoměřice and Most are often basalt, with limestone found on the lower part of the slopes. The vineyards of Most have most significantly formed part of a recent recultivation programme which included planting vines on once disused quarries and open-cast mines, such as Habrák. The Riesling, Pinot Gris, Müller-Thurgau, Pinot Noir, Saint Laurent and Zweigeltrebe cultivars all thrive here.