The Gravity Garden & the Hnanice Soul
Vinařství Špetíci is a small family winery in the village of Hnanice, in the Znojemská sub-region of South Moravia, Czech Republic — a place where wine is not a career but a way of living. Since 2010, the Špetíci family has farmed their 1 hectare of vineyards on the Knížecí vrch vineyard track in strict organic and biodynamic regime, and they are proud members of Demeter.cz. They also work with grapes from the neighbouring Fládnická vineyard track in Hnanice, ensuring that every wine remains rooted in the same village, the same soil, the same sky. Everything is done by the family alone — from pruning to bottling — with no employees, no shortcuts, and no compromise. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in wooden barrels, aged on fine lees, and bottled without fining, without filtration, and without added sulphur — or with only the minimum necessary. The cellar operates on gravity alone: no pumps, no mechanical intervention, just the natural slope of the land, an occasional bucket, and the patience to let wine move at its own pace. The result is approximately 10,000 bottles per year of living, unpolished, characterful wine — certified bio, naturally made, and unmistakably Hnanice. As they say: real things don't need shortcuts.
Hnanice & the Family Covenant
The story of Vinařství Špetíci is the story of a family that gives wine its soul, its shape, and its meaning. Based in the picturesque village of Hnanice, on the southern edge of the Znojemská wine region, the Špetíci family lives and works as a single unit — parents, children, and the vines they tend together. They are not winemakers who happen to be related; they are a family that happens to make wine, and that distinction is visible in every bottle. There are no employees, no external consultants, no hired harvest hands. From the first pruning in winter to the final label on the bottle, everything is done by their own hands.
The family's philosophy is deceptively simple: wine should be made as they live — with respect for nature, joy in daily work, and the belief that real things do not need shortcuts. This is not a marketing slogan; it is a moral framework that governs every decision. They do not chase trends, they do not expand for commercial reasons, and they do not compromise on the time that wine needs to become itself. The vineyard is not a factory; it is a garden. The cellar is not a laboratory; it is an extension of the home. And the customer is not a consumer; they are a guest invited to sit under the trees, look at the vines, and taste the result of a season's quiet labour.
Since 2010, the family has farmed in ecological regime, and in recent years they have deepened their commitment to biodynamic principles, joining Demeter.cz — the Czech biodynamic association — and surrounding themselves with growers who think the same way. They observe, they learn, and they decide with humility. The goal is not to impose a system on the land but to listen to what the soil, the microorganisms, and the seasons are saying. Strong vines, resistant to stress and disease, return grapes full of life, natural yeasts, and the character of the place. And that is exactly what the Špetíci family works with in the cellar.
The family's connection to Hnanice is absolute. Their own vineyard sits on Knížecí vrch, a vineyard track that carries the history of the village in its name. They supplement their production with grapes from the neighbouring Fládnická track, also within Hnanice, ensuring that every wine they make is a pure expression of their village's terroir. They do not buy grapes from distant regions, they do not blend across sub-regions, and they do not correct what nature has given them. The result is a portfolio of wines that taste of Hnanice first and technique second — wines that are alive, unpolished, and deeply honest.
"We make wine as we live — with respect for nature, joy in daily work, and the belief that real things don't need shortcuts."
— Vinařství Špetíci
Knížecí vrch, Fládnická & the Znojemská Edge
Hnanice is a small, picturesque village in the Znojemská sub-region — the southernmost and one of the most historically significant wine districts in Moravia. Lying close to the border with Austria, the Znojemská region has a wine culture that stretches back centuries, shaped by the same Pannonian warmth and continental clarity that define the finest terroirs of Lower Austria. The village of Hnanice itself is perched on the edge of the Dyje River valley, surrounded by vineyards that have been cultivated for generations, many of them on steep, south-facing slopes that capture the sun and drain the cool night air.
The Špetíci family's own vineyard is on Knížecí vrch — the "Prince's Hill" — a vineyard track whose name speaks to the aristocratic history of the region. Here, on approximately 1 hectare of organically and biodynamically farmed vines, the family grows their core varieties, tended by hand throughout the year with meticulous green work, composting, and natural preparations. The soils are typical of the Znojemská ridge: loess and clay-loam over limestone bedrock, providing both the mineral richness and the water retention that allow vines to thrive in the warm, dry summers of southern Moravia. The south and south-east exposures ensure optimal sun exposure, while the elevation provides enough diurnal shift to preserve acidity in the whites and freshness in the reds.
To supplement their own production, the family also sources grapes from the Fládnická vineyard track — another historic site within Hnanice, named for the Fladnitz river valley that shapes the local geography. This second track provides additional volume and variety, but it is still Hnanice soil, Hnanice sun, Hnanice rain. The combination of the two tracks gives the Špetíci family a broader palette of expressions — from the more exposed, mineral-driven Knížecí vrch to the slightly sheltered, richer Fládnická — while maintaining the absolute integrity of village-specific terroir. No grapes come from outside Hnanice; no wine is made that does not speak of this place.
The climate is warm continental with a strong Pannonian influence — hotter and drier than the Velkopavlovická sub-region to the north, but with the cooling influence of the Dyje valley and the forests that surround the village. Summers are long and sunny, allowing full ripeness in late-maturing varieties; autumns are mild and extended, providing the ideal conditions for late-harvest selections and the slow, gentle ripening that biodynamic farming encourages. The result is a terroir that produces grapes of generous fruit, firm acidity, and distinct mineral clarity — a combination that suits both the family's classical whites and their more experimental natural cuvées.
The family's primary vineyard is located on the Knížecí vrch vineyard track in Hnanice — approximately 1 hectare of organically and biodynamically farmed vines on the southern edge of the Znojemská sub-region. The site faces south and south-east, capturing the full warmth of the Pannonian climate while benefiting from the cooling influence of the Dyje River valley. The soils are loess and clay-loam over limestone bedrock, providing mineral richness, excellent drainage, and the water retention necessary for healthy vine growth in dry summers. The vineyard is farmed entirely by hand, with no external workers or machinery.
The Fládnická vineyard track is the family's secondary source within Hnanice, providing additional grapes that supplement the estate's 1 hectare on Knížecí vrch. Also farmed in organic and biodynamic regime, this track offers a slightly different exposure and soil composition, adding complexity and breadth to the family's portfolio while maintaining absolute village-specific terroir integrity. The combination of Knížecí vrch and Fládnická allows the Špetíci family to produce a diverse range of wines — from mineral-driven whites to richer, more structured reds — without ever leaving the boundaries of their home village.
Since 2010, the family has farmed in strict ecological regime, rejecting synthetic fertilisers, herbicides, and systemic chemicals. In recent years, they have deepened their practice to full biodynamics, becoming members of Demeter.cz — the Czech biodynamic association. The approach combines organic vineyard management with biodynamic preparations, composting, cover-crop diversity, and lunar-calendar awareness. The goal is not merely to grow grapes but to restore soil vitality, increase biodiversity, and create a self-sustaining vineyard ecosystem. Strong, stress-resistant vines are the reward — vines that return grapes full of natural yeasts, life, and the unmistakable character of Hnanice.
In the cellar, the philosophy is one of absolute non-intervention guided by gravity. Grapes are hand-harvested and processed without haste. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in wooden barrels — no selected strains, no temperature control, no enzymatic additives. Wines age on their fine lees in a combination of wooden barrels and stainless steel tanks. The family uses no pumps; wine moves through the cellar by gravity alone, exploiting the natural height differences of the land and sometimes simply using a bucket. No fining. No filtration. Sulphur is not added, or only in the minimum amount if absolutely necessary. The result is wine that is alive, unpolished, and characterful — exactly as nature intended.
Gravity, Patience & the Bucket
For the Špetíci family, the cellar is not a place of manipulation but a place of translation — a quiet extension of the vineyard where the only task is to preserve what the soil and the season have already created. The philosophy is radical in its simplicity: grape juice, time, and natural processes. No selected yeasts. No temperature control. No filtration. No fining. No pumps. No unnecessary sulphur. Just the slow, patient transformation of healthy grapes into living wine, guided by gravity and the family's attentive presence.
All grapes are hand-harvested into small crates and transported immediately to the cellar. The family works without haste — pressing is gentle, fermentation is spontaneous, and the wines are left to age on their lees in wooden barrels and stainless steel tanks. The choice of vessel is pragmatic and intuitive: wooden barrels for wines that benefit from micro-oxygenation and textural complexity; stainless steel for wines that demand absolute purity and aromatic freshness. But in both cases, the principle is identical: do not disturb. The wines are not racked aggressively, they are not clarified with agents, and they are not forced into clarity with filters. They achieve their natural brightness through time and sedimentation alone.
The most distinctive feature of the Špetíci cellar is its gravity-flow operation. The family has designed their winery to exploit the natural slope of the land, allowing wine to move from press to tank to barrel to bottle without a single mechanical pump. When gravity is not sufficient, they use an ordinary bucket — a detail that is both charming and deeply meaningful. As they reflect: "What does it bring? Maybe nothing. But for us, it makes sense." This is not Luddism; it is a belief that the less wine is mechanically manipulated, the more it retains the energy and character of its origin. Every transfer by pump is a small violence; every transfer by gravity or bucket is a small act of respect.
The result is a portfolio of wines that the family describes as živá, neuhlazená, s charakterem — living, unpolished, with character. These are not wines for competitions or for mass-market appeal. They are wines for people who understand that nature is not perfect, that wine is not a beverage but a food, and that the best wines are the ones that taste of the hands that made them and the soil that grew them. The Špetíci family does not seek to correct what nature has given; they seek to honour it, preserve it, and share it — one gravity-fed bottle at a time.
Indigenous Yeasts, Gravity Flow & the Bucket Ethos
The guiding principle of Vinařství Špetíci is that the wine is made by the vineyard, moved by gravity, and bottled with absolutely nothing corrected. The loess and limestone of Knížecí vrch and Fládnická provide the mineral backbone and fruit generosity. The biodynamic farming provides the healthy, yeast-rich grapes. The wooden barrels and stainless steel provide the quiet place for transformation. And the Špetíci family provides only their labour, their patience, their buckets, and their absolute refusal to homogenise what the Hnanice hills have already made distinct. The cellar is not a factory; it is a home where a family lets wine move at its own pace, from vineyard to barrel to bottle, with no pumps, no filters, no fining, and no excuses. The wine is alive because the vineyard is alive — and the vineyard is alive because the family has never stopped listening to it.
Pét-Nat, Traminer & the Hnanice Expressions
Vinařství Špetíci produces approximately 10,000 bottles per year from their 1 hectare of owned vineyards on Knížecí vrch, supplemented by grapes from the neighbouring Fládnická track in Hnanice. The portfolio is small, focused, and entirely natural — certified bio, spontaneously fermented, gravity-flow produced, and bottled without filtration or fining. The range spans classical Moravian whites, an orange Traminer, and a playful Pét-Nat, all united by a common foundation: organic and biodynamic grapes from hand-tended village vines, indigenous-yeast fermentation in wooden barrels, ageing on fine lees, and bottling with zero or minimal sulphur. The result is a range that is as honest as the family who makes it: living, unpolished, and unmistakably Hnanice.
Hnanice & the Gravity Covenant
Vinařství Špetíci is not merely a winery; it is a model for how family, land, and wine can coexist without compromise. In an era of industrial expansion, hired labour, and technological shortcuts, the Špetíci family has proven that 1 hectare, two hands, and a bucket are enough to produce wine of extraordinary honesty and character. They are not part of the natural wine movement as a trend; they are part of it as a necessity — because their way of farming and their way of living leave no room for the additives, the pumps, the filters, and the fining agents that define conventional winemaking.
The legacy of Špetíci is written in the soil of Knížecí vrch and Fládnická — two vineyard tracks that have been restored to biological vitality through a decade and a half of organic and biodynamic care. As members of Demeter.cz, they have helped to build a community of like-minded growers in the Znojemská region who share preparations, knowledge, and a common conviction that the vineyard is a living organism, not a production unit. Their gravity-flow cellar, their bucket transfers, and their refusal to use pumps have become a quiet manifesto: wine does not need to be forced; it needs to be allowed.
The future of the estate is tied to the future of the family. The children who play among the vines today will one day inherit not just a hectare of land but a way of being — a covenant with Hnanice that demands patience, humility, and joy in daily work. As the Znojemská region faces the pressures of climate change, rural depopulation, and the slow abandonment of smallholder agriculture, Vinařství Špetíci continues to work as it always has: not by expanding, but by deepening. More careful vineyard management. More precise parcel selection. More patience in the cellar. And more wines that taste of nothing but the Hnanice hills: the loess, the limestone, the Dyje valley wind, and the quiet persistence of a family that chose to let gravity do the work. The story of Vinařství Špetíci is the story of a garden vineyard that became a philosophy — still growing, still flowing, still proving that real things don't need shortcuts.
"What does it bring? Maybe nothing. But for us, it makes sense."
— Vinařství Špetíci, on gravity flow and the bucket