(Podcast in German)
Marek Špalek is one of the most prominent winemakers in South Moravia, who runs Vinařství Špalek (Špalek Winery) in Nový Šaldorf-Sedlešovice near Znojmo together with his family. Today, the family-run organic winery cultivates around 12 hectares of vineyards - exclusively on the famous Kravi Hora (Cow Hill) site, a south-east-facing vineyard at an altitude of up to 340 m with clay soil over granite bedrock. The estate's wines stand for precise, fresh and terroir-driven styles - in a region that was long characterized by quantity thinking under socialism.
The history of the winery actually began in the 1970s, when František Špalek (Marek's father) started growing wine. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989/90, many families got their land back - but not Marek's father, who was the youngest of seven children and was left empty-handed. Nevertheless, the brothers and their father took the plunge in 1992: initially they made wine from bought-in grapes, but the dream was to have their own vineyards. Marek and his brother had both studied viticulture and worked in state wineries; after reunification, they gained crucial experience in Austria, including nine years at the renowned Schlossgut Hardegg. There they not only learned about quality viticulture, but also how family businesses work - and they earned good money, which they invested in their own start.
