|Interview| Kamila Ilgnerova: "I was very lucky to get on the train with the name of Špalek winery and I can learn from the best..."

How would you describe your job position in your family winery?
In a family business, which is true in any business, you have to be versatile, you have to be able to pivot and at the same time be tolerant of other people's opinions. When I go to work in the morning, I can never be sure what's actually waiting for me there. And I really like the diversity. I've found my "place" among other winemakers in a community of natural winemakers that I see as inclusive, open to trends, and I feel really at home among them.

Winemaking is often perceived as a traditionally male industry. Do you see any differences in the way you are treated?
Yes, I perceive them, shall we say, very sensitively. In fact, I haven't really wanted to be in winemaking for most of my life because I feel like I'm a big feminist, and this industry is traditionally a rather masculine field in my eyes. I didn't want to feel like some little girl among middle-aged men. So I was very pleasantly surprised by the unexpected respect I got from our men - my dad, my uncle and my grandfather. I think they appreciate the female element in the company. From the outside I sometimes feel differently, sometimes a customer or partner just needs to deal with a "man", although I could also answer the same questions adequately. This sometimes frustrates me.

So what role can a woman play in the wine industry to be respected?
I see it as a big challenge to support women in the wine industry. They are generally few in number, but they are extremely skilful. Personally, I gravitate towards these women, my big role model is for example the young Austrian winemaker Katharina Gessl, or Dominika Černohorská from the winery Plenér. I believe that over time a community of women will be built in this industry, of which I will be a part.



You represent a new, young generation of winemakers. How does your approach differ from that of your parents or grandparents?
I generally think of it as learning things from scratch, which is an advantage for me, just as I understand that some may perceive it as a disadvantage.But I do go around asking things that maybe my dad takes for granted, and in doing so I sometimes take the blinders off and he re-evaluates the whole situation afterwards. So in the end, my curiosity makes us all think and try to do things differently. It is clear that there is some intergenerational exchange of views, sometimes it can be more acrimonious, but always in a good spirit. It's a form of brainstorming, we lay our cards on the table and then the most optimal option is chosen.

What does it mean for you personally to be part of a family business, do you have room for self-implementation or does it limit you to a certain extent?
I gravitate towards nature itself, towards ecology, and my presence in the winery therefore emphasises the line of natural wines. But I am also realising myself graphically, for example, we made a completely new website and I am very happy that our winery is open to innovation. I have to say that in my eyes we have always been pioneers - we were one of the first in Znojmo's Kraví hora to have vineyards in organic mode, we started to produce soft drinks. Here, I honestly look up to my dad, uncle and grandfather and appreciate their openness, even to social networks.



From the presentation of your winery, is it evident that you are trying to reach out to a younger clientele? Do you have a part in that?
Yes, that's true, but it comes naturally from my presence in the winery. We're basically a family of four here, and each of us has a different kind of customer that comes to each of us. So, logically, the younger ones belong to me and also the ones from abroad.

Speaking of the younger generation, what kind of wines do you think young people are listening to?
A lot of winemakers, and we can talk about all alcohol producers in general, are struggling nowadays with the fact that young people are drinking much less alcohol than they used to.And when they do drink, they drink better, in the sense of better quality drinks. This could be for any number of reasons, perhaps they are dealing with their traumas through psychotherapy rather than turning to alcohol. (Laughter) Or it could be that drinking wine is becoming a luxury that young people can't afford so much. Either way, the trends as we see them in our wine industry are such that the younger generation is more interested in in experimental wines, in low-calorie wines - wines that are fresher and lighter. That's my own experience at least, and I think it's going to be a big challenge to teach people to drink again. We're going to face it. (laughs)

What kind of wines do you like?
I enjoy when wines surprise me. I'm a fan of experimental wines, whether it's orange wines or maybe "Pét-Nats". However, I grew up on our traditional wines, so I also appreciate the classics and therefore more so white wines.

Your winery could definitely be described as unconventional. Who comes up with innovations?
We are a democracy, so I can't name one person. For example, my uncle Marek Špalek likes to innovate, my dad dreams that one day we will cultivate the vineyard with drones. They both accept that times are changing and often take inspiration from other winemakers, even from abroad.

Spalek Winery strives to support the entire community around Cow Mountain. What motivates you personally to do activities like sightseeing or insect hotels? Is it just a desire to differentiate ourselves?
It's certainly not a well thought out marketing strategy behind it, it's more about the fact that as winemakers or entrepreneurs we should give back to our surroundings what we take from them. In the vineyards, we are therefore trying to create an environment for diverse nature, for plants and animals, and thus help natural biodiversity. Then we also try to make the vineyards attractive to the people who come to visit us. So that they can spend a pleasant time there. And last but not least, a pleasant environment is also important for us to enjoy. For example, my brother got married at the vineyard. That's what's important to us - to take care of our surroundings. Our grandmother is always taking care of the flowers and decorations, selflessly contributing to the overall atmosphere of the winery.



You offer both natural and organic wines... is this the way to make a name for yourself among Moravian winemakers nowadays?
We see this kind of production more as a social responsibility. We do it mainly for ourselves, for our land and for our children - not for hard business. We actually have a lot more work to do than a conventional winery, but the vineyards give back to us - they are alive and bring us tremendous joy. Although there is a lot of competition even amongst natural winemakers and natural wines are at a high level today, for me it's a heart thing and I'm actually learning what to do and how to do it. But the big decisions are up to all of us, and I've been given a completely free hand in the design of the labels and overall bottle design, for example.

How do you actually decide on the wines, do you do any family tastings?
What I love about working in the winery is our regular daily ritual at my grandmother's house. She makes us a snack at 9 o'clock, all the family members get together, and there's a sort of unofficial meeting. At that, everything important is discussed and sometimes we have to taste something and decide what to do with it. I don't consider myself an expert, but I've been very lucky to get on the bandwagon with the name Spalek Winery and to learn from the best, the professionals in the industry. I don't think many people have it this way and I'm really grateful for that. I'm happy to have them give me advice, explain, help.

In addition to traditional varieties, you also rely on varieties resistant to PIWI fungal diseases. What is your opinion on growing them and how do you work with them? Do you see them as the future of Moravian winemaking
Resistant varieties have their advantages, no doubt, but in my opinion they can never replace the traditional varieties. Here on Kraví hora near Znojmo we are facing a big drought, but PIWI varieties suffer from drought in a comparable way. We have one of this variety, it is Donauriesling and we are really excited about it. Other varieties, for example, have to be sprayed eight times, whereas the Donauriesling only has to be sprayed twice. So the difference is really noticeable. We then treat this variety as a kind of classic wine, with residual sugar, but it does have a certain aroma of PIWI varieties. On the other hand, for natural wines I prefer the traditional varieties, I think natural wines are best suited to pinots, and I work with them the most.

You yourself are also involved in presenting wines abroad (Sweden, Poland, Canada), how do foreign customers react to them?
It's true that our natural range is mainly targeted at the foreign market. During my studies I travelled a lot, I lived abroad, so I am able to present wines as well in English as in Czech. Even the names of the wines are presented in English, for example, at the beginning of this year we started to present and sell the natural range under the brand name Špalek Naturel. I have had very positive feedback from our Canadian importer, but I honestly think it will take some time. So we export mainly our traditional wines.

We have another Winery of the Year competition coming up. You have already been a winner in the Small Winery of the Year category (2024). What are your ambitions?
We managed to defend our title after ten years and we see this competition as an important feedback. Participating in the finals the previous year helped us to learn what we still had to work on, and this has then been put into practice. Last year's win made us very happy and our grandfather was extremely touched. We take it as an appreciation of our long-term honest work. This year, however, we decided to take a break and give others a chance to make themselves visible as well. We now want to focus on our internal things, work on the quality of the wine and the overall operation. Of course, we continue to enter our wines in competitions, such as the Wine Salon and many others.

Do you have a favorite childhood memory that is connected to winemaking and shaped your relationship with it?
As I said in the introduction, I didn't want to work in the wine business for a long time because I saw from childhood how much time it took and how hard it was, how my dad would come home late and devote everything to it. On the other hand, it was a very beautiful environment, I remember from my childhood looking for a mouse in the sandstone cellars with my grandmother, or how my grandfather and grandmother used to glue labels on bottles by hand, with wallpaper glue. I drew a doll on one of the labels, and I think we still have that hidden somewhere. The memories from my childhood are still beautiful, but as time went on I began to realize how much work it is and that it's not really just a simple "to-do" job, but a certain lifestyle. Then I lived abroad and somehow I started to feel homesick. Well, it turned out that I came back, started taking care of our apartment, finished college, and now I can't imagine doing anything else and working for anyone other than my family.

What fulfills you most about working in the winery? Is it more the time spent in the vineyard or the moment you get to see people taste and enjoy your wine?
It's definitely a complex set of things, including morning meetings at my grandmother's house, but I would highlight the contact with customers, the feedback from them - when you really pay attention to them, show them around the cellar, prepare a tasting, talk to them and they appreciate it at the end, praise it. That's what warms my heart the most.

Winemaking is a life's work. How do you manage to find a work-life balance? Do you have time for hobbies?
I personally know how to relax and I have made it my mission to teach other family members to relax. I'm not very good at it yet, but it's really important. I think I work harder than the average person my age. But it still doesn't compare to how hard the people around me work.



What's your favorite time of year in the Vineyard?
Fall around vintage time, when it's getting a little cool and foggy in the morning, you go out to pick and you pick a bunch of grapes and eat half of it. In autumn, the year's work becomes tangible and you finally see some results.

Where do you see yourself in, say, 10 years, what's your most secret winemaking dream?
I've never really thought about it... But I think I'll be here. My big dream is to learn to drive a tractor. (Laughs) I don't have career ambitions at all, I wish that in ten years we would be doing at least as well as we are today, that we would have healthy vineyards and that global warming would stop.

And one last, still hypothetical question - what will your children do one day? Would you like them to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors and carry on the family tradition?
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, who knows what life will throw at me. But of course it would be a nice idea that my children will take over the imaginary scepter and the winery will be passed on from generation to generation. On the other hand, I would like my children to one day do what will make them happy. Just as no one ever forced me to be here, I could never do it to them in the future. If they find a way to do it, it will be beautiful, and if they don't, it doesn't matter at all because there are a lot of us in the family, so I'm not worried that someone won't pick it up.

Kamila Ilgnerová

- She studied hotel and tourism management with a focus on gastronomy
- She prefers the area of natural wines, together with the production of organic wines she sees this area as part of the social responsibility of their winery towards the landscape, nature, people around
- What she likes most about her work is the direct contact with people
- She enjoys travelling, good food, practicing yoga and maybe crocheting
- Her big dream is to learn to drive a tractor