Once In A Lifetime

View from Melnik Castle 45 minutes outside Prague of the junction
 of the Voltava and Melnik Rivers--an area which has
been producing wine for the past 800 years

I love wine for many reasons, but perhaps most importantly, I love wine because of the memories I associate with particular wines. When I buy a wine at a winery that I have visited or when I buy a wine that I tasted at a special event, I’m buying it as much for the opportunity to relive the experience as because I liked the wine itself. 

Whenever I drink Roederer Estate Brut sparkling wine (a real deal at $20), it takes me back to my wedding.  Whenever I drink Ravenswood Vintner’s Cuvee Zinfandel (another bargain at $10-12), I fondly remember the weekly “girls nights” I had in San Francisco with my school friends, dining on salad and talking about the challenges of transitioning from school to the real world.

Wine can transport you to back to past places and times. I was never so aware of this as during the recent Christmas holidays, which fortunately for me included an extra-special wine excursion.  In this month’s column, I wanted to share with you my experience, in hopes that it will inspire you to seek out unique wine-tasting experiences of your own.

I was lucky enough to spend this Christmas in Prague in the Czech Republic.  Knowing how much I enjoy learning about local wines and their history, my husband arranged for a tour of one of the Czeck Republic’s oldest wineries, the Chateau Mělník.  Mělník is an old town, located at the confluence of the Elbe and Vltava Rivers, about 25 miles outside of Prague. 

Czech lore holds that Princess Ludmila (the grandmother of Good King Wenceslas) first brought wine grapes to this area in the Ninth Century.  Wine making has continued through the centuries, with some interruptions following World War II. Many of the vines were destroyed during the 40-year interlude of communist occupation, but since the chateau was returned to the Lobkowicz family in 1992, the family has been replanting the terraced vineyards on the hillside adjacent to the castle.  Because new vines don’t produce harvestable grapes for at least five years, it is only recently that Chateau Mělník has again begun producing wine.

I was very anxious to try Czech wine because they are generally unavailable in the United States.  The proprietor advised us that this is because there are no U.S. importers.  I suspect that the industry is so much in its infancy that we Americans have not yet discovered it.  When there is sufficient demand, an importer will probably appear.

We began our day at Mělník by touring the castle.  Although I initially viewed the tour as a delay to the main event – wine tasting – I really enjoyed it.  The current castle was constructed in 1542 and has been significantly renovated many times.  It is fully furnished and much more accessible than other similar historical sites in Europe.  I was astonished at how much of it was open to be touched and how few guards supervised us.  As we explored the castle at our own rate, undisturbed by other visitors, it occurred to me that this must be what it was like for early visitors to other historic buildings before floods of tourists inundated them. 

After the castle tour, we were granted entry to the wine caves.  Again, we were alone and able to explore at our own pace.  We saw winemaking equipment that was 500 years old.  We saw barrels and bottles that have been used for centuries.  We discovered a wonderful little room with melted candles that was clearly used for wine dinners.  The caves were cool and damp and smelled vaguely of grapes and wine; they have been used for winemaking and wine storage on and off for several centuries.  I imagined myself walking in the footsteps of a Fifteenth Century vintner, who knew more about wine than me, but never had the opportunity to travel outside of the Czech Republic or to taste wines other than those he made.

The day was capped with the highlight – the wine tasting.  The proprietor gave each of us a wineglass and opened a heavy wood door to a steep set of stone stairs.  There was very little light, but I could make out the distinctive smell of wine.  She told us, through hand gestures, that we had one hour to ourselves.  Then she was gone.  At the bottom of the stairs, we found a dozen wine barrels, each topped with a different, open bottle of wine.  We also had a basket of bread and paper and pen.  For the next hour, we tried each wine.  We utilized the spit bucket and wrote notes in a futile effort to remember each wine. 

It is not an exaggeration to say the wines were unique.  I couldn’t read several of the labels and of those that identified a varietal (the type of grape(s) in the particular wine), I only recognized three.  None of the wines were great, but they were all interesting, and I enjoyed each one.  I also saw great potential.  As the vines mature and the winemakers learn what works best, those very distinctive wines will get better and better.  Like the castle, the wines have undiscovered potential. 

Unfortunately, because of the lack of importer and the vagaries of Czech and U.S. law, it was not possible to ship any wine from the Czech Republic.  Thus, I could only buy as much as I could safely carry in my suitcase -- two bottles.  It was very difficult to choose. 

I have tasted hundreds, maybe thousands of wines in my life.  I have visited scores of wineries and been to a dozen winemaking regions.  Nothing compares to the experience I had at Mělník.  I know that when I drink those two bottles, I will momentarily be back in the centuries-old wine cellar of a fledgling wine business.  I cannot wait.

Fortunately, you don’t have to cross the Atlantic to fall in love with wine and wine culture. European chateaux are nice, but Oregon offers some tremendously enjoyable wine tasting of its own. A trip to the vineyards in the Willamette, Rogue or Umpqua valley and the numerous tasting rooms there can produce a memorable weekend. There is even one small winery and tasting room in Bend now. On the web you can check out www.oregonwine.org for more information. In addition, don’t neglect any of several local Prineville and Central Oregon restaurants or grocery outlets which offer some surprisingly strong wine lists, which can be easily navigated with the help of knowledgeable staff people.

Wine is enjoyed best when it is enjoyed as a lifelong adventure, but like all adventures, it requires a departure from the ordinary. I wouldn’t recommend a place as hard to get to as Chateau Mělník for everyone, but you can start your own adventure as soon as this weekend.