He associated working in the fields more with hard labour than with the romance of the vineyards (though it’s hard work there too). “We had pigs at home, and we grew beetroot and potatoes. For us kids, it was a nightmare – our friends were running about on the playground whilst we were slaving away in the fields,” he recalls. It’s no wonder that his relationship with farming wasn’t exactly warm at first.

But life sometimes writes a story that one could never have imagined. Ondřej’s began to change subtly the moment he met his future wife, Lucie Zechmeisterová. With her came the world of wine – the quiet rhythm of the vineyard, the autumn harvest and the cellar fragrant with fermenting must.

Lucie’s grandfather had started the vineyard back in the 1970s, and the family tradition was gradually passed down. At first, Ondřej approached it cautiously, mostly as a helper during the harvest. “My wife wouldn’t let me get involved at first; she was afraid I’d run off,” he laughs. “I only got involved in the cellar after the wedding.”

Gradually, however, he found his own way to the vines and the cellar – and a world that had once been distant to him became a natural part of his life. Lucia’s grandfather played a major role in his enthusiasm. “He showed me what it means to farm, what can be created. I’m still grateful to him for that.”

Between technology and the cellar

Professionally, Ondřej seems, at first glance, a world away from the vineyard. He works at MND Drilling and Services as a Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) administrator. People on the drilling rig send data, which is used to plan inspections and servicing, and to record the equipment’s history. He is also responsible for the MD-150 drilling rig’s machinery. His world is full of machines, precision and planning.

Perhaps that is precisely why he enjoys the cellar so much. “To this day, I enjoy the cellar more than the vineyard,” he admits. He sees the production process as a demanding but beautiful discipline. “I enjoy the moment when technology has a fundamental impact on the quality of the wine. Even just the way the grapes are pressed is extremely important.”

He has also brought his technical mindset to winemaking – for example, he designed and built his own cooling system to maximise the natural fermentation process. And as Miloš Michlovský, one of the giants of winemaking, told him: “Once you’ve got it off to a good start, just get out of the way.” 

The Zechmeister Winery

The family cultivates 1.5 hectares of vineyards, which amounts to roughly ten thousand vines. They grow twelve varieties, predominantly white. According to Ondřej, red wines are subject to trends – their popularity waned for a few years, but is now on the rise again.

They sell some of the grapes and process the rest into their own Zechmeister wines. They produce around four thousand bottles a year. Most of these are sold at the grape harvest and at events organised by the Velkobílovice Winegrowers’ Association.

“As a family, we do everything ourselves – from growing the grapes to bottling. We don’t want to do any more than that; we want to preserve our artisanal character. We go to work as normal,” says Ondřej.

Lifelong learning

When asked how long it took him to really get the hang of winemaking as a craft, he replies without hesitation: “I haven’t got the hang of it yet. It’s a lifelong endeavour.”

In his view, you don’t become a winemaker in fifteen years. It’s a field where you’re always learning. He reads specialist books himself, asks more experienced people, and discusses things. And above all, he listens to his wife Lucie, who is a food engineer and a qualified microbiologist.

“Thanks to her, I’ve looked, so to speak, inside the wine – what processes are taking place there, what should and shouldn’t be there so that the must, for example, has the correct pH…” When advice is needed, there’s someone to ask – other members of the extended family also make their living from wine.

The family rhythm

The wine-growing year has its own clear rhythm. At the turn of winter and spring, the vineyard is pruned and the tying-up begins, whilst last year’s wine is being bottled in the cellar. “Last year was excellent, very delicious and fruity,” he says.

Their daughters, now aged ten and twelve, are gradually getting involved in the work. When needed, they lend a hand. Ondřej talks about how capable they are: “I won the lottery with these children,” he says proudly.

Perhaps the girls are thinking the same thing their father once did – that they’d rather be running about outside than helping out. And perhaps one day they’ll realise that it is right here, amongst the rows of vines and in the quiet of the cellar, that a bond is formed which lasts a lifetime.