National Wine Competition 2025: The sub-regions already have winners, now the 1st round of the Wine Salon 2026 begins

The competition enjoys great popularity among winemakers and the professional public and is also backed by strong institutional support. Its expert guarantor is the Union of Winegrowers of the Czech Republic, and the Wine Fund provides financial support. Out of a total of 2724 samples submitted, 2502 wines advanced to the second round. They will now compete for a place among the 100 best wines that will become part of the exhibition of the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic in 2026.

The Czech Republic has shown its diversity: the champion is a wine from Kvevri

Three expert committees judged 102 wine samples from the entire Czech wine region at the Czech University of Agriculture in Mělník. The region covers some 710 hectares and, thanks to its scattered vineyards, offers extremely diverse soil and climatic conditions. The vineyards can be found in areas ranging from the picturesque corners of Prague through Beroun, Kutná Hora and Litoměřice to Polabí, Kuks, Mělník, Ústí nad Labem and Doudleby nad Orlicí. The outstanding varieties here are Müller Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, and the red varieties are Svatovavřinecké and Pinot Noir.

Just as the Bohemian region is special and specific, so too is its Champion. The Champion is the Czech regional wine Saint Laurent 2023 Special Kvevri from the Nectar Lucis winery in Rájec. The wine was made from grapes of the Saint Laurent grape variety harvested from the Sovice vineyard in the Litoměřice sub-region. The harvest took place at a sugar content of 23,5 °NM. 'The wine was fermented in a Georgian kvevri vessel buried in the ground for seven months and then aged in a new barrique barrel for a further eight months. We used spontaneous fermentation, the wine was not sulphurised or filtered and underwent malolactic fermentation," explained Lucie Šimonová, the founder of the winery. The result is a wine with notes of sour cherries, blackcurrants and prunes, a full and harmonious taste with a hint of dark chocolate.

Category winners

• White dry wines: Riesling 2023, late harvest – Vinařství Vondrák
• White semi-dry and semi-sweet: Riesling 2007, berry selection – Vinařství Vondrák
• Rosé wines and clarets: St. Lawrence Rosé 2024, Czech land wine – Vinné sklepy Kutná Hora
• Red dry wines: Saint Laurent 2023 Special Kvevri – Nectar Lucis (Champion)

The best collection of this year's edition was presented by the Vinařství České zemědělské univerzity.

The Slovakian sub-region was dominated by Dornfelder from Prušánky

The second evaluation of this year's National Wine Competition 2025 and the first Moravian round traditionally belonged to Slovácko. From the largest Moravian wine sub-region, which extends from the warm southern slopes of the valley Morava River to the rugged landscape of the White Carpathians, the Chřiby Mountains and the Ždánický Forest, 89 winemakers took part in the competition with a total of 743 wine samples. In particular, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Muscat of Moravia are thriving here, while the bluevarieties, Frankovec, Svatovavřinecké and also a variety bred in Slovácko - Cabernet Moravia.

This year, however, the focus was on a different variety. The title of the Champion of the Slovácké wine subregion 2025 goes to Dornfelder 2023, a quality wine variety from the winery Vinné sklepy u Jeňoura in Prušánky-Nechory. This dry red wine not only dominated the entire sub-region, but also won its category.

"We were very pleased to receive the award of Champion of the Slovac subregion and we are glad that our wine is a success not only among consumers, but also among experts and tasters. We grow Dornfelder in our vineyards on the Podkovné line, about two kilometres from the winery in Prušánky. It has acquired its smooth taste thanks to our work and fifteen months of aging on lees in oak barrels," said Jan Ivičič, cellar master and owner of the winery. "The taste and aroma of the winning wine is dominated by delicate chocolate-covered cherry and overripe forest fruit with spicy tannins. It goes well with a juicy steak or venison ragout," he added.

Category winners

• Dry white wines: Grüner Silvaner 2024, late harvest – vinař Jiří Uherek
• White wines semi-dry and semi-sweet: Riesling 2019, Moravian Land Wine – Vinařství Pod Ořechy
• Sweet wines (white, rosé and red): Welschriesling 2023, selection of berries – BM vinařství
• Pink wines and clarets: Cabernet Sauvignon rosé 2024, late harvest – Vinařství Čech
• Red dry wines: Dornfelder 2023, quality varietal wine – Vinné sklepy u Jeňoura (Champion)
• Sparkling wines: Chateau Radyně extra brut 2022 – Bohemia Sekt

The best wine collection of this year's vintage in Slovácko was presented by Bohemia Sekt.

The Mikulov region is dominated by Riesling Walrus

Mikulovsko, known for its unique landscape and wines from Pálava, which rises steeply from the gently undulating landscape of the lower Podyjí and defines limestone cliffs with loose loess, calcareous clay and sand, giving the wines their typical mineral structure.

Varieties such as Müller Thurgau, Chardonnay, Veltliner Green and Pálava thrive here, and Neuburský and Sylvánský Green in Valtice. Among the red wines, Svatovavřinecké, Frankovka, Merlot and Zweigeltrebe are popular. Nevertheless, the absolute ruler of the region remains Riesling - and this year's Champion has once again confirmed this.

The champion of the Mikulov Subregion 2025 was Welschriesling 2024, late harvest, from Vinařství Tichý from Dolní Dunajovice, which also dominated the category of dry white wines. The jury also awarded the winery for the best wine collection and the triumph was completed by the success in the sparkling wine category with Pinot Blanc SEKT 2022. For the overall victory, the winery also received a premium French oak barrel from the partner town of Mikulov.

"We are very happy that our winery scores points again and that the champion of the competition is a Riesling with the name Dunajovský Vlašák. It is a combination of grapes from the Dunajovský Kopec and Pod Slunným vrchem routes - a combination of old and young plantings. A similar combination of wines has already won us the title of Champion of the National Wine Competition and the Wine Salon of the Czech Republic in previous years," said the owner of the winery Lubomír Tichý. "We are equally pleased to have won the sparkling wine category with our Pinot Blanc champagne. It is great to see that even a sparkling wine from a small family winery can succeed with its quality," he added.

The winners of the individual categories

• White dry wines: Welschriesling 2024, late harvest – Vinařství Tichý (Champion)
• White semi-dry and semi-sweet: Pálava 2022, selection of grapes – Gotberg Winery
• Sweet wines (white, rosé and red): Gewürztraminer 2023, selection of botrytised berries – Vinařství Volařík
• Pink wines and clarets: Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, late harvest – Petr Plchut
• Red wines dry: Merlot Reserva 2018, selection of grapes – B/V vinařství
• Quality sparkling wines: Pinot Blanc-SEKT 2022 – Vinařství Tichý
• Semi-sparkling wines: Muscat 2024, Moravian Land Wine – Vican family winery / Farma Pálava

The best wine collection of this year's vintage in Mikulovsko was presented by Vinařství Tichý.

The champion of Znojmo does not come from a traditional winery

Due to the alternation of sunny days and cooler nights, the grapes in Znojmo ripen more slowly, but they retain their aromatic substances and achieve high quality. The cold winds from the nearby highlands, together with the thermoregulatory influence of the rivers, give Znojmo wines their characteristic spicy flavour. Thanks to the ideal natural and climatic conditions, the area boasts full-flavoured and fresh aromatic wines.

Traditionally, the most successful varieties in the competition include Veltliner Green, Riesling, Müller Thurgau and Sauvignon, while the red varieties are Svatovavrinecké and Frankovka. This year 310 wines made it to the national round of the Salon des Vins - the national wine competition. The highest award goes to Grüner Silvaner 2022, late harvest, from DAVINUS. This wine not only dominated the category of dry white wines, but also became the Champion of the entire Znojmo sub-region.

"DAVINUS, Sylvánské zelené and the Bzenec Chateau Winery - this combination has been working successfully since the 2013 vintage. We are extremely happy and proud that the joint and patient work in the cellar with Zbyněk Žiška and Bořek Svoboda, together with the perfect maturity grapes from the Lahofer Group vineyards, has led the 2022 vintage to the title of Champion of the Znojmo Subregion of the National Wine Competition," said Mirek Majer, owner of DAVINUS s.r.o. As négociant, he assembles his production, oversees the complete production, finalizes the wine and sells it under his own name.

The winners of the individual categories

• Dry white wines: Grüner Silvaner 2022, late harvest – DAVINUS (Champion)
• White semi-dry and semi-sweet: Pálava 2024, late harvest – Vinařství Hanzel
• Sweet wines (white, rosé and red): Chardonnay 2021, selection of grapes – Vinné sklepy Lechovice
• Pink wines and clarets: Ego No.8169 Pinot Noir rosé 2024, late harvest – Zámecké vinařství Bzenec
• Red dry wines: Pinot Noir 2021, selection of grapes – Znovín Znojmo
• Quality sparkling wines: Chateau Bzenec brut 2018 – Chateau Bzenec
• Semi-sparkling wines: Frizz Merlot rosé 2024, Moravian Land Wine – Oulehla winery

The best wine collection of this year's vintage in Znojemsko was presented by DAVINUS.

Velkopavlovice sub-region confirms the glory of red wines

The Velkopavlovice wine sub-region is especially famous for its exceptional red wines - especially Svatovavrinecky and Frankovka. This year's Champion only confirmed this: Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2018, a selection of grapes from the B\V winery in Milotice. In a competition of 865 wines from 106 winemakers, it shone as the best of the sunniest and warmest Moravian subregion, itsThe landscape rises north of Velké Bílovice into the hills of the Hustopečská hills and opens up to the fertile plains to the south towards Brno.

'The location of our Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, no. 1846, as the champion of the Velkopavlovice sub-region at the nomination exhibition of the Wine Salon is a great success for us and at the same time a confirmation ofm that our philosophy in wine production is correct," said the founder of the winery Zdeněk Bábíček and added: "This success is the result of the careful and honest work of the entire B\V winery team, especially Jirka Toman, whose dedication and precision were at the birth of this wine. Our great thanks go to all those who have contributed to this journey."

The winners of each category:

• White dry wines: Gewürztraminer 2023, selection of grapes – Vinařství Škrobák
• White wines semi-dry and semi-sweet: Pálava 2023, Moravian Land Wine – Vinařství Na Důlku
• Sweet wines (white, rosé and red):  Riesling 2023, Moravian Land Wine – Vít Sedláček Winery
• Rosé wines and clarets: Cabernet Sauvignon rosé 2024, late harvest – Vinařství Lukáš Hlinecký
• Red wines dry: Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2018, selection of grapes – B\V winery (Champion)
• Quality sparkling wines: Nicolas blanc de blancs 2019, grower's sparkling wine – Vinařství Kamil Prokeš
• Sparkling wines: Irsai Oliver Frizzante 2024, Moravian Land Wine – ZD Němčičky

The title of Best Collection received Vinařství Škrobák.

Taste the champions of the National Wine Competition in your region
The expert evaluation part in each sub-region is always followed by a wine exhibition.n for the public, where visitors will have a unique opportunity to taste a truly representative sample of the wines of the wine sub-region. The shows also include a prize ceremony in the form of a French oak barrel donated by the tasting's partner town. Four of the five public exhibitions have already taken place, leaving the Velkopavlovická sub-region on 4 October 2025, where the exhibition is linked to the Burčák Festival in Hustopeče.

The evaluation of wines in the 1st round of the Wine Salon 2026 will take place from 6-10 October at the Centre of Excelence in Valtice.

The National Wine Competition 2025 has confirmed that Czech and Moravian wine continues to grow in quality. For experts, the competition is an important indicator of trends, for winemakers it is an appreciation of their work and for the public it is a tempting opportunity to taste the best that the domestic wine industry has to offer. The absolute Champion of the Wine Salon will be announced in January 2026. In the meantime, we can enjoy the achievements of the winners of each sub-region and attend public tastings, which can also take place thanks to the main partners of the competition - BS Wine Supplies and Ford.

"I would like to thank all the judges who gave their time and expertise to judge the wines. Thanks to their careful and responsible evaluation, the National Wine Competition is able to present the best quality samples to the public and award theand medal winners deserved recognition," says Petr Gondáš, manager of the Wine Salon, which organises the competition.