Krásná Hora Herr Gewürz 2024

An orange Gewürztraminer from the far southeastern corner of the Czech Republic — lychee and rose petal, with a couple weeks of skin contact doing the talking.

Grape Varietals & Region: 100% Gewürztraminer, grown on Krásná Hora's organic and biodynamic vineyards around Starý Poddvorov in South Moravia — sitting on the 49th parallel, the same latitude as Alsace and Burgundy, at more or less the northern limit of where this grape wants to grow in Central Europe. The Vybíral family farms 8.5 hectares by hand, biodynamically, and turned toward natural winemaking after a visit to Milan Nestarec — one of the region's best-known natural wine figures — back in 2015.

Taste Profile: Aromatic and uplifting rather than heavy, with lychee and rose petal front and centre, tropical fruit underneath, and a dry, fresh finish that keeps the classic Gewürztraminer perfume from tipping into cloying. Good with spiced or aromatic food — think Southeast Asian, not classic Central European.

Winemaking Process: Two clones picked at different ripeness levels, then fermented on the skins for two to four weeks in open vessels before pressing, with around three months on lees afterward. Wild yeast throughout, minimal sulphur, no fining or filtration.

Winemaker: Krásná Hora is a genuinely family operation — the Vybíral family farms the vineyards by hand and biodynamically, with a winemaking style that shifted decisively toward the natural end of the spectrum after a formative visit to Milan Nestarec in 2015. It paid off: the winery picked up Czech Winery of the Year honours at the 2018 New York International Wine Competition, not bad for an estate working this close to the edge of where Central European viticulture is even possible.