Wine has been made in Czech lands for more than twenty centuries and has always played an important role, not only in economy but also in culture, society and even politics. During the course of its history, the quality of Czech wine has been acknowledged in foreign countries and markets however, due to the politic development after the Second World War, the Czech wine industry became physically and politically isolated for several decades from the global wine industry..

The last twenty years though have seen a dramatic change and development in the industry and Czech wines are again enjoying great attention and recognition on the market even though the customers are mostly from the Czech Republic. However, initial attempts for regaining its position within European wine countries have been made and Czech wines are now being exported again to several European countries, the USA and Asia regaining its position and status as a member of the global wine village.

Given the fact that the Czech Republic is a Central European country with no maritime influence and its wine regions are located alongside the 49th parallel, it is a wine country recognized as a “cold growing area” with “a continental climate”. These are two important facts and features that determine the local wine styles. Within the wine categories and styles as recognized by WSET (Wine and Spirt Education Trust) most of the wines are categorized as “light to medium-bodied white (aromatic) wines” and a small percentage are “medium to full-bodied white (oaked) wines”. A typical wine from the Czech Republic would therefore be described as a light to medium bodied Riesling with expressive and attractive fruity aroma and refreshing zesty acidity. However, within the whole country, there are several wine growing regions and sub-regions that specialize in other wine styles.
In general, Czech wine growing is divided into two main regions: Bohemia and Moravia, with a total growing area of about 20 000 hectares. The majority (about 19 000 hectares) lies in Moravia, which is thus further divided into 4 sub-regions.