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On the steep slopes of Black Hill in Prague’s Troja, a quiet revolution in Czech winemaking is taking place. Here, at the site where vineyards once flourished by decree of Charles IV, Lenka Vydra Šmídová and her husband are writing a new chapter in Czech winemaking tradition. Their Jabloňka Winery pushes the boundaries of urban grape cultivation and demonstrates that exceptional wine with character can be produced even in the metropolis. “Prague isn’t just a city of beer and architecture,” says the former Olympic medalist with a smile, having traded sporting challenges for agricultural ones.
Under her leadership, the winery has become a prestigious producer of boutique wines, with at most eight thousand bottles leaving the local slopes annually — for now, at least. Each bottle is the result of precise craftsmanship. “Every one is a small work of art to us,” she notes with pride. The same artistic ambition is reflected in the intimate Fibonacci pavilion that winds among the vines. The design by Portuguese architect Marco Maia even earned the prestigious BIG SEE Architecture Grand Prix Award in 2023.
The local terroir of quartzite and slate bedrock lends a characteristic minerality to the wine. Every step of production, from hand-harvesting to controlled fermentation at 12°C, is carefully monitored to achieve perfect harmony of aroma, appearance, and taste. Jabloňka pays equal attention to sustainable aspects of production. A photovoltaic power plant powers the cellar cooling systems, while recycled materials are used in vineyard revitalization.
“We want to be a model showing that modern winemaking can function in harmony with both nature and the urban environment,” concludes the winemaker. In addition to exceptional wines, they also produce a rare grappa aged in oak barrels — made from skins, seeds, and stems after pressing, perfectly completing the cycle of their vines.