MORAVIA, CZECH REPUBLIC

Martin Vajčner comes from a family of grape-growers with a long and rich history, with the oldest written record of his kin found in 1634 in Moravia, Czech Republic. Back then, they were cited as the Weinschnitts, aka ‘vine-cutters’ in German, but over the years, the family name gradually changed to the current Vajčner, which sounds similar to the Czech word for 'egg', hence the occasional eggs and egg-puns on his labels.

​

Martin spends 95% of his time outside, guarding the 5.2 hectares of his certified organic vineyards where he incorporates biodynamic methods. The soils are diverse, ranging from granite to calcareous, sand, loess and loem. These soils have become home to varieties like Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Pinot Noir, producing between 15,000-20,000 bottles annually. Over time he has realized that the cliché, “everything is done in the vineyard” will forever ring true. Everything is made in Martin’s grandfather’s old underground cellar, the farming and harvesting carried out by the whole family. All grapes are foot-stomped on the ground floor, usually left on skins for a few hours to weeks depending on the grape and intended style and allowed to flow by gravity into the cellar underneath to ferment and rest in a select variety of vessels, such as ceramic vats, various types of oak barrels, glass demijohns and qvevri. Native fermentation only, no filtration, little to no sulfur, this is pure Moravia.