Wine tasting - in the snow

I went on an unusual date with my husband last week....(no, we didn't take the dog this time!)

But we found ourselves deep in the snow walking through the vineyards of Northern Prague at 8pm at night in nail biting  -7 degree temperatures.

We thought we were heading for the lit building in the background, a Vinoteca (wine bar), to sample their wines, warmth and roaring fire.

For Christmas my husband bought me a "wine tasting tour" of the Sv Klara, or St. Clara, vineyard at the Botanical Gardens in Prague.  When he initially bought the voucher he had visions of us sipping their produce from a cosy armchair seated around the above mentioned fire. He didn't realise that this meant trudging through the frozen vines to reach the cold cellars....

Even though it wasn't exactly warm, it was really interesting and surprisingly hi-tech.  This little winery produces 8,000 bottles a year which are only sold on site in the Vinoteca, mostly white wines, a few reds.

What was even more surprising was that the wine was pretty good.  I don't normally drink white wine but I was quite taken with it.  (It could have possibly been amount of alcohol I consumed quickly to keep warm mind you, but I'm sure it was good)

We sampled a cross section of wines, including appropriately named Ledove Vino (ice wine) which is a type of desert wine produced from grapes which freeze while still on the vine.  The waters freezes inside the grape leaving a smaller but more concentrated form of sugar/grape, which is therefore sweeter.

Czechs aren't exactly known for their world famous wines  - and it's fair to say I've drunk a few bottles that could quite easily of passed for vinegar, but times are a changing.  There's a boom in independent wine production and Vintoteca's are springing up like daises as the younger generation get a taste for the grape.

But have no fear, beer swilling traditionalists, the grain will always reign supreme...

Ice wine on Wiki:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_wine