Milan Nestarec - Nach - 1 liter - 2022 - 12,5% - regio Moravia

Serving some bright Moravian red realness

Moravia, my home, has the perfect conditions for making light-bodied, fun reds with good acidity. This unpretentious "rural realness" used to be the traditional style here, and I’ve been drinking and loving wines like this since I was a kid. Obviously, our region also had to go through the craze of new oak barrels, de-acidifiers, tannins and all the other BS covering the sense of place in our wines, when the Czech Republic opened its borders after 1989. But I wanted to put the normal, juicy Moravian red, based on our signature Blaufrankisch grape, back in the spotlight. So voila Nach, named after its colour (= purple in Czech).

To make it really "ours", the label is now a linocut made by my dear wife Mirka, and we found a cute plump bottle whose shape and crown cap transport me right to my childhood when we used to buy beer or juice in such containers. We kept the liter volume, of course, as it's an important part of Moravian wine heritage. Or you can call it “mini-magnum”, like my Montréal friends do.

I’ve been drinking the typical rural Moravian red since I was a kid –
before the arrival of new oak barrels, de-acidifiers, tannins and all
the other BS covering the light, bright, drinkable character native to
our local wines, especially when based on my dear Blaufrankisch,
a grape I focus on more and more. I wanted to put the classic juicy
Moravian red back in the spotlight, so voila Nach! Named after its
colour (= purple in Czech) and served in a healthy measure of one
litre, because this is the kind of wine you can drink even without
moderation…

2022 was a very dry and hot year, with only 421 mm of rainfall (= about 100 mm less than average) and 32+days with temperatures exceeding 30 °C between June and August. While the younger vineyards visibly suffered, the older vineyards coped very well, and we did our best to adapt the vineyard management, in order to
keep as much shade and water as possible. The temperatures dropped radically at the end of August and the ripening became very slow, thanks also to the nearly–constant September rain. Fortunately, warmer weather returned in October and saved the vintage’s reputation, especially for late varieties such as my beloved
Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankisch. Fermentations in general were slower than usual (not just in our region but more or less in the whole of Central Europe, afaik), but in the end, the wines are tasty, aromatic and accessible, with lower acidity and lower ABV, ready to be drunk quickly.

Grape varieties Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir, Zweigelt
Region Moravia
Subregion Velkopavlovická
Village Velké Bílovice & Moravský Žižkov
Vineyard Blend of different plots
Aspect South
Average altitude 205–215 m ASL
Slope 5–12%
Soil Clay
Farming Organic (certified by ABCERT)
Age of vines 6–21 years old
Vineyard size 1.8 ha
Training system Guyot
Density of plantation 2.2 x 1.0 m and 2.0 x 0.9 m
Yield 40 hl/ha
Harvest By hand, October 15–18, 2022
Vinification Sorted by hand, destemmed, uncrushed
Pressing Gentle push by the pneumatic press and free-run juice
Fermentation Spontaneous, 14 days in open-top vats with regular gentle remontage
Ageing Stainless steel + Wood
Fining No
Filtration No
Sulfur addition No
Bottling April 2023
Lot number Nach22
Alcohol by volume 12.5 %
Acids 5.7 g/l
Residual sugar 0.1 g/l
Bottle 1.0 l Vetropack Bordeaux 447
Closure Crown cap
Serving temperature 16–18 °C