History

The reconstruction of the chateau was lengthy and costly, moreover it was subject to the supervision of historic preservation officials. In the spring of 2011, they moved into the reconstructed chateau and then began to renovate the neglected garden and surroundings. To the west of the house, while clearing overgrown woody vegetation, they came across stone terraces that indicated the past presence of a vineyard. They decided to repair and expand the walls to plant vines. Their viticultural advisor, Vilém Kraus from Mělník, recommended Riesling and Tramin seedlings, and so in 2013-2014 they started planting the first vines.

The 2017 virgin harvest produced a very decent wine, providing the motivation to expand the vineyard with the goal of building a family owned boutique winery that could one day become an icon of Prague’s viticulture. Over the next 10 years, they gradually cleared more areas around the chateau, repaired, strengthened and added new terraces so that more vines could be planted. They also built a winery building with modern technology to produce high quality, estate bottled white wine. They had sustainability in mind when revitalizing the vineyard, using recycled materials such as marl from demolished buildings or used railway sleepers for stairs, as well as installing photovoltaic panels to power the air-conditioning for the wine cellars.

Production

After pressing and sedimentation, the must is settled and fermented with a pure culture of varietal yeasts. The controlled fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at 12 °C for approximately two weeks. After the first racking, the young wine is left to rest on fine lees for half a year, followed by the processes of clarification, filtration and bottling.

Chateau Jabloňka

The classicist two-storey Chateau Jabloňka dates back to the end of the 18th century and reigns over Prague’s Troja district. The origins of the building’s history are unclear. The building’s foundation harbored a find of 15th century coins and it is believed to have housed a wine press. The chateau acquired its present appearance before the First World War, when the Jablonka was owned by the local Governor Šafránek.

The building has a rectangular plan and is located on a slope. The front façade is therefore two-storey, the rear façade is ground floor single-storey. The hipped roof is equipped with a wooden, metal-covered bell tower. On the ground floor there is a room with a beamed ceiling, on the first floor there used to be a chapel with a flat roof. The original cellar with vaulted ceilings adjoins the building. Since its construction, the building has been documented as ‘the manor’. It was only in the 1970s that the name ‘Jablůňka’, later ‘Jabloňka’, was adopted.

Fibonacci

A major feature of the Jabloňka Winery is the Fibonacci Winetasting Pavilion designed by Portuguese architect Marco Maio and Radek Krčil, owner of the Manuall studio. This building won the BIG SEE Architecture Grand Prix Award 2023 and even one of the prizes in the Czech Architecture Award 2023 for “elevating an elementary building element to art”.

The pavilion is primarily used for guided tastings for visitors to the winery, excursions by customers and wine buyers, and private meetings with friends. A walk through the vineyard to the secluded spiral takes you out of your daily routine by providing a uniquely quiet and relaxing atmosphere. In the Fibonacci space you are insulated from the big city noise by a stone wall, enabling you to fully focus on your glass of wine, your friends and the view of the chateau and beautiful vineyard.

Terroir

The slope of Černý kopec (Black Hill), on which the Jabloňka Winery is located, is oriented south above the Vltava River in the northeastern part of Prague.

The southeastern surroundings of the Jabloňka Chateau, approximately 1.25 ha, which is not currently used for planting vines, were designated a nature preserve in 1968. The area is protected due to the existence of a rock massif formed by slates and quartzites originating from the Ordovician period. It is also an important habitat for rare birds and thermophilic vegetation.

The vineyard’s subsoil consists of sandy and clay deposits, and last but not least, black and grey slate, which provides a strong foundation for the distinct flavour of the wine. The altitude of the vineyard is approximately 200-250 m above sea level, the average annual air temperature (of the last 10 years) is approximately 12 ⁰C. The rainfall level during the growing season is below average, so the winery uses a drip irrigation system sourced from its own wells. It is mainly used for watering young, newly planted vines. The local warm microclimate and almost constant air flow helps to fight mold and mitigate spring frosts.

Vineyard

The winery now covers an area of approximately 1 hectare and has 7 500 vines planted, with a maximum capacity of approximately 10 000 vines. The slope below the chateau is very steep and therefore the work in the vineyard is carried out mostly without mechanisation. Everything is done manually, from hoeing to pruning, spraying, mowing and harvesting.

Three varieties of white wine are grown here – Riesling, Red Traminer and the quite rare Red Riesling. Beginning in 2025, the vineyard was registered as a new vineyard route called “Jabloňka” and so will be able to produce quality wines with an appellation. The “head” line is mainly used here, which is best suited to the demanding steep terrain; on flatter areas at the top of the hill, a wire Rhine-Hessen line is built.

Our Team

Alongside him is his wife and co-owner, Lenka Vydra Šmídová. A former three-time Olympian and Olympic medalist, she now puts her energy into running the winery, taking care of everything from management to marketing and sales.

Our team wouldn’t be complete without a few trusted colleagues. František Běhunek, our oenologist, has been with us since 2020, guiding every step from grape to bottle after first joining as a consultant. And then there’s Jiří Beer, our sommelier, who honed his craft in some of the finest restaurants and wine bars in Prague and London. Today, he leads our tastings, sales, and marketing—and when harvest season arrives, you’ll often find him out in the vineyard, too.