Prague Wine Week is coming...

January has never been on top of either my or Honzi’s list of favorite months. At the age of ten (yes, a long, long time ago), the only bright side of January used to be snow fights and going down the hill on a sleigh. Nowadays, we wish January was over before it even has a chance to start. So is there any reason why you should enjoy the cold, sometimes rainy, windy and dark days of the first month of the year in Prague? The answer is a definite yes: the Prague Wine Week!

The fourth year of the Prague Wine Week, organized by the Víno Revue, aims to get Czechs and tourists alike off the beer, and turn their attention to wine. The festival starts with a gala event at the Crowne Plaza Prague on Monday, January 23. At this event, you get a chance to taste more than 300 great wines that were awarded in the largest Czech wine contest, the Prague Wine Trophy, and that can’t be found on the supermarkets’ shelves, for CZK 1000. But there is more…

From Monday, January 23, to Friday, January 27, restaurants, wine bars and wine shops throughout Prague will cooperate with award-winning wineries to create set menus accompanied by wine tastings that will give you the chance to savor a particular grape in its best light, or rather, with the best bite for prices that won’t break the bank (ranging from CZK 150 for no-meal options to CZK 450 for three-course options).

Well... given that it’s more than recommended to spend as much time in January as possible by eating and drinking with your family or friends, we’re definitely gonna try at least one venue… Vinograf.

This wonderful, cozy wine bar joined forces with the MIKROSVÍN MIKULOV winery to select 7 different regional wines and match them with local cheeses. Besides, they have the widest selection of Czech and Moravian wines in Prague and a very friendly and knowledgeable staff. We are quite sure you will enjoy Vinograf so much that you pop in again the next evening.

Made in Czechoslovakia

OK, we must admit it: life is not just about food and drinks, although sometimes Zuzi and I tend to forget that. But any visitor that has joined us for our Prague tasting walk will confirm that we also love to talk about architecture, design and things that we use on a daily basis, even the smallest things. Because let's face it - it's the things that surround us that shape our taste in fashion, arts, food and much more, ultimately making us who we really are. We talk about them because these small things, for instance things we remember from childhood, are the true essence of "local". Although you may find many similarities among nations (e.g. no matter where you lived, the odds are you hated broccoli when you were a kid), you can still find many things that will come as a surprise and that will help you appreciate local tastes and preferences.

Well, to appreciate the Czech taste, modern history and present, there is a great website that you can visit: Made in Czechoslovakia (you will probably know that Czechoslovakia as an independent state existed from 1918 to 1938 and then again from 1945 to 1993, when it split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia). It's a great site about applied arts, architecture and technology made in Czechoslovakia that will put many things into perspective, including cubism, modern Czech crystal, or even the famous Tatra and Skoda cars.

Speaking about Czech cars and other technology, we have another tip for you: after five years of extensive works, the National Technical Musem in Prague opened a few weeks ago. Seated in an awesome functionalist building on the Letná plain, just across the river from the historical centre (about 20 minutes by walk), it is a living proof that, as one of my foreign friends put it when he saw the old airplane suspended in the hall of the Prague Ruzyne airport, "Gees, the Czech really used to make everything!" I loved this museum when I was a kid, and I think you will love it, too. Check out, for instance, the Tatraplan, a famous Czech design that has inspired Porsches! It's a classic, and even Jay Leno has one!

Winter treat - sauerkraut soup with sausage

I know you probably want me to write about Czech cakes and sweets, and believe me, I will. But first, I have to share this warming soup recipe with you because it’s cold outside, which means I can only think about meals that will warm me up. Besides, you can't live on cakes alone. Believe me, you can't. Jan has tried, and ultimately failed (although he had a good run...).Well, this sauerkraut soup might not look cool or hip, as it has Eastern Europe written all over it. But for all the disagreeable clichés about Eastern Europe and its sauerkraut-based cuisine, this is a hell of a winter dish. Once you try this substantial, rich and quite filling soup, your doubts will melt away. This isn’t just a starter: it’s a whole meal by itself.

You should know that there is no one recipe to make the "zelňačka". Every cook has their own magic formula, and as far as I can tell, the only given constants are: meat, sauerkraut, potatoes and black pepper. The meaty version is more traditional; however, you can also make it vegetarian. I think that the use of sauerkraut as well as sugar and sour cream is key to this soup in terms of flavoring. The recipe below is an accurate description of how my mom used to make this soup, and she always got raves from everyone who tried it. So even though this is not the only way to prepare this soup, this recipe is our family gold! Respect!

Sauerkraut soup with sausage

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• small piece of bacon
• 2 pieces of sausage (different kinds for texture), sliced or diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 3 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 4 balls all spice
• 1 cup peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 cups sauerkraut, drained, rinsed briefly and chopped roughly (save the juice)
• 8 prunes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• chili
• salt, sugar, ground black pepper and sauerkraut juice to adjust the taste
• 1 cup sour cream

Preparation:

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add oil and bacon. Cook until the bacon is golden, 4 minutes.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 4 minutes.  Add sausages and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Take off the stove and add the paprika, caraway seeds, all spice and tomato paste, stir properly, put back on the stove and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the potatoes, stock, water and thyme and cook until potatoes are almost tender (if you put the sauerkraut too early, potatoes will not cook properly and will be crunchy), about 15 minutes.
5. Add the sauerkraut, garlic, chili, prunes and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 min.
6. In separate cup mix 3 tablespoons of sour cream with 3 tablespoons of broth and add the mixture to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning - the combination of sauerkraut juice which gives the soup a great tang, sugar, salt and pepper makes a perfect sweet-sour flavor that I think really makes this soup shine.
7. Serve immediately, with a spoon of sour cream on top.