After work fun? After work, the vineyard!
Václav Kratochvil works as an operator on the gas storage facility in Uhřice. In addition, he farms a two-hectare vineyard, where he takes care of about ten thousand heads of vines. When he goes to work, he walks - the journey takes him fifteen minutes. Just walk up the hill, walk through his vineyard and there he is. On the way back, he sees what needs to be done. "I really enjoy working on the hopper. But working in the vineyard, that's what fulfills me. I could be here all day and be happy. It clears your head," he says.
We sit together in a gazebo under a vineyard he built with his own hands. Every passer-by has free access to it - there are glasses, a bottle for tasting and a box for voluntary donations. "It's unbelievable, but there's usually more money than people drink," laughs Václav.
We drink red wine, and I try to detect "subtle blackberry notes in it, caressed by the barrel because the wine has been sitting on the barrel for a while". The chatter is enhanced by the shots of alarm cannons and the reproduced cries of predators to scare away the starlings. "I planted this vineyard when I was eighteen. It was an old vineyard and my parents didn't know what to do with it. I came up with the idea of grubbing it out and planting a new one," he recalls.
His grandfather started the family tradition of winemaking in Dambořice, at that time growing wine for his own use - a few hundred litres a year. His grandfather had six sons, including Václav's father, and they used to meet in the communal pressing room to discuss wine and taste it. Václav wasn't interested in it as a boy. The turning point came at the age of 16, when his father told him on the way home from church: "Come on, let's go score wine." They sat him down with an expert to explain everything to him, and from that moment on he was clear: wine is not just alcohol, but a connection with nature, and every year brings something new.
Since then, he's been attending tastings regularly, worked his way up to chairman of the table, and now serves on the subcommittee that selects the champion of the competitions. "It's been a long journey. Learning about wine is about constant training and tasting different varieties. The biggest mistake winemakers make is when they get bogged down in just their wine," he explains.
Today, he and his family farm two hectares of vineyards and have built a cellar, which they have expanded several times. "It's a job for the whole family," he adds.
We meet just before harvest. The grapes look great, but Václav is cautious. "There are more grapes this year, they are nicely plumped up, they have more water, but they lack sugar. So we're still waiting, but I'm nervous, it's supposed to rain." The harvest is done by hand and involves the whole family and neighbours. It's a demanding logistical operation - pressing, destemming, cellar capacity. "You go to work... I come at seven in the evening and I'm in the cellar by midnight. And in the morning we go picking again," Václav describes the hectic period.
And what will the 2025 vintage be like? "At first I thought it was one of the best. But now I look at it differently. Last year the sugars were high and the acids were lacking. This year there will be neither sugars nor acids. The wine will be more watery," he assesses.
He has twelve varieties in the vineyard, roughly half and half white and red. In recent years, however, the white has been predominant - it is more marketable. "Wine is a combination of sun, soil, water and the handiwork of the winemaker. And it all fits into one bottle. With that bottle you write history," he says poetically.
The family tradition could continue. His son is in wine school and last year won the national championship in grape cutting. "Whether he takes it over remains to be seen. Young people today don't want to stand with a hoe in the vineyard anymore, they would rather invent an app for that," laughs Václav.
However, one must also take into account adversity on the vineyard. "Two years ago there was a hailstorm, it lasted seven minutes and 80 percent of the crop was gone," he recalls.
They sell wine from the cellar, have three permanent pick-up points and go to festivals. They stick to traditional practices, not adding anything that doesn't belong in the wine. Václav has already won many awards at competitions, but two dream awards have eluded him so far - the champion of the exhibition and the champion of the Dambořice collection. "Three years in a row I missed it by a tenth. But then I think, if I won it, maybe I would stop enjoying it and lose motivation," he concludes with a smile.
Editor-in-Chief
Other articles
From managing energy consumption at MND to cultivating carnivorous plants – meet Tomáš Báborský
When we hear the term "chief energy officer," most of us imagine a person surrounded by tables and graphs, checking whether the numbers add up and consumption matches the plan. In the case of Tomáš Báborský, MND's new chief energy officer, however, the reality is much more colourful.
Gas storage tanks and their importance
Underground gas storage facilities (UGS) are a strategic pillar of the modern energy system. In times of growing energy consumption, fluctuating price levels and geopolitical uncertainties, UGS facilities are becoming an indispensable tool for ensuring the reliability, flexibility and competitiveness of the gas sector.
November teambuilding MND ES and MND GS
On Thursday, 13 November, a planned team-building day was held for employees of MND Energy Storage and MND Gas Storage, offering a combination of good food, sporting activities and a relaxing evening programme. The event was divided into three parts – a joint lunch, a badminton tournament and a guided wine tasting.