Veltlin: the Karlín wine bar where the soul of Moravian winemaking lives

If you want more than just a glass of wine — if you actually want to understand what sets one Moravian terroir apart from another — head to Veltlin, a small wine bar on Křižíkova in Prague's Karlín. This place long ago outgrew the label of "trendy bar": Veltlin is an authentic Karlín wine bar that has been championing natural wines from the regions of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire since 2010, with Moravia firmly at its heart.

The bar's story is closely tied to its founder, winegrower and poet Bohdan Trojak. Bohdan — an oenophile and poet — pours natural wines at Veltlin (he prefers to call them "authentic") from across the old Austro-Hungarian lands. It's around him that a whole community of Moravian winemakers has taken shape: Veltlin serves as the home base of the Autentisté, a coalition of Moravian vintners strictly committed to winemaking principles rooted in Moravia's regional traditions. Among its members are Trojak himself, along with Jaroslav Osička, Petr Kočárik, Zdeněk Vykoukal and others. In this way, the bar has become more than a place to buy a drink — it's a showcase for an entire movement dedicated to honest, non-industrial wine.

What to try? There's no fixed wine list here on principle — don't bother searching the website or the bar for one, because it simply doesn't exist. New bottles are opened every day depending on the mood. The main focus is naturally on Moravian wines, but the geography stretches further: you can sample natural wines from the Dalmatian coast, Istria, Slovenia, Slovakia, western Romania, northeastern Italy, and of course Austria and Hungary too. The wine is paired with simple but carefully chosen bites: cheeses from the family farm Bláto and from Mrs. Řezáčová of Bukovina, sausages from Jiří Nový of Jablonec, pâtés from Melemaso, and pumpkin seeds from the Cherůvka family of Velké Bílovice — nearly everything on the plate comes from the same Moravia as the wine in your glass.

The atmosphere at Veltlin is a blend of wine club and cosy living room, minus the snobbery. On one wall hangs a huge, whimsically illustrated map of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, created by a local illustrator — studying it over a glass of wine is a pleasure in its own right. The staff don't just pour; they tell stories, and many of the winemakers themselves come by to present their wines in person, so what lands in your glass really does come straight from the source. One guest recalled a waitress bringing over different stones from a shelf just to demonstrate the differences in terroir — not a staged gimmick, but standard practice here for anyone wanting to dig deeper into wine.

Insider tip: if you're unsure what to choose, don't be shy about admitting it. Don't know much about wine? No problem — that's exactly what the staff are there for. And if you happen to know "too much," they promise to dig up something genuinely unusual for you to taste. In summer, don't miss the small courtyard garden — from spring through autumn, Veltlin's cosy, unpretentious interior spills out onto a summer terrace, perfect for a glass of wine and some homemade snacks.

Address: Křižíkova 488/115, 186 00 Praha 8, Karlín
Opening hours: Mon–Sat: 17:00–23:00, Sun: 15:00–21:00
Prices: there's no fixed price list — the range of wine prices, as well as the cost of water and light bites, is listed on a board behind the bar

Veltlin is the perfect spot for anyone tired of tourist-trap pubs who wants to discover the real Moravia through a glass of wine: natural wines without pretence, honest stories from winemakers, and a conversation with the bartender instead of a standard wine list. It's worth a visit both for newcomers ready to put their trust in the staff and for seasoned wine geeks hunting for rare bottles beyond the usual appellations.

See also:

Source: aroundprague.cz

Comments (0)

Please be polite. Spam and insults will be removed.