Healthy vineyards are the cornerstone of Osička’s work. He is one of the pioneers of chemical-free viticulture in Czechia, a long-standing member of Ekovín, and one of the founders of Autentisté — local eco-conscious agriculture and natural wine associations, respectively. Although their vineyards are not officially certified, they are farmed according to even stricter standards than those for organic farming: no systemic chemical agents, herbicides, or pesticides are used. Instead, they rely on natural-based sprays such as silica, baking soda, and plant extracts like horsetail.

“Vineyards can be farmed completely without chemicals — you just have to know how. If someone tells you it’s not possible to eschew them, they’re basically compensating for their lack of knowledge."

Or lack of will — because working this way is much harder. The vines are tended and harvested by hand, with help from the entire family, especially Jaroslav’s wife Věra and their sons Luboš and Robert. The soil is covered with natural vegetation or cover crops, in line with their philosophy that only a living vineyard brings joy to work in—and produces good wine in the end.

“It's foolish to think you can help the wine with any sort of ‘hack’ in the cellar,” Jaroslav says.  He considers himself a grower above all—perhaps because that’s his original vocation. (The family only began making wine from their own grapes in 2008; before that, they supplied fruit to other legendary Moravian winemakers, such as Dobrá Vinice.)

To ensure that only top-quality fruit reaches their picturesque, hand-painted historical cellar in the Bílovice alley, the yield is naturally regulated—through pruning methods, canopy management, or simply the advanced age of the vines—kept below 40 hl/ha. This guarantees the depth and longevity that Osička wines are known for.

To further exalt this potential, fermentations proceed naturally and spontaneously, and the wines age gracefully in neutral local and old French oak barrels, housed in their centuries-old underground cellar—built in 1697, to be precise. Its constant humidity and temperature allow for an undisturbed, extended élevage, essential for the balance and elegance Jaroslav strives for, especially in his beloved Chardonnay.

“I love its plasticity, the variety of expressions it offers. With a reasonable yield and several years on the lees, it can become a truly remarkable, long-lived, and complex wine – whether as a single varietal or in blends, where it brings an almost aristocratic refinement,” he says dreamily.

No wonder that his favorite wine regions outside Moravia are Champagne, Burgundy, and Jura, his eternal inspirations that one can recognise in the minerality and finesse of Osička’s wines – at a fraction of the price, luckily for us wine lovers.