On Znojmo Time: Aleš Kovář

A lifelong friend of neighboring virtuoso Martin Vajčner, part-time vigneron Aleš Kovář has finally bottled his 2021s, his first unsulfited vintage. It offers further proof of Znojmo's grand terroir.

Originally from the Moravian border town of Znojmo, Aleš Kovář lives in the Brno suburb of Rahjrad, working for a water treatment facility. In his spare time, he farms 0.5ha of vineyards around Znojmo beside those of his close friends Martin Vajčner and, more recently, Michal Lacina. From riesling, müller thurgau, welschriesling, and grüner veltiner, Kovář produces whites, orange wines, and a tiny bit of petnat in a small rented cellar near that of another longtime friend, the reclusive Dobrà Vinice disciple Jakub Novàk.

Reflective by nature, with a well-deserved reputation for patience, Kovář practices very long élevage in steel tank, demijohn, and the occasional oak or acacia barrel. In spring this year he finally bottled the last of his 2021 wines: his first vintage produced without the addition of sulfites at any stage. (Previous vintages saw additions of 5-10mg/L before bottling.) Kovář’s whites are like little lightning bolts, finely-etched and full of light, their native energy and acidity undimmed by the long élevage.

I first met Kovář on the eve of Natural Wine Fest in Brno in March 2023. I returned the following May to visit his vineyards and taste at his cellar. We’ve since had many occasions to hang out at natural wine tastings throughout the Czech Republic. He and Vajčner and Lacina are inseparable at wine events. Together, they’re poised to put Znojmo on the radar for natural wine fans in search of ripe, zero-zero whites with chiming, Jura-like acidity.