Syfany

Deliciously drinkable wines with great value for money crafted by the ingenious mind of Jakub Zborovský (and his inseparable dog Jack) in the picturesque village of Vrbice, Moravia.

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Syfany Essentials

Size: 35 ha, estate-owned. (Roughly half of it used for own production, the other half sold to other local wineries)

Location: Vrbice, Moravia, Czech Republic 

Founded in: 1990s

Soil: loess and marl


Farming: sustainable with organic practices, 1.2 ha of experimental biodynamic vineyard

Main grapes: André, Blaufrankisch, Riesling, Pinot family

Production: around 50,000 bottles / year

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Wines by Syfany

A bottle is worth a thousand words...

Jakub Zborovský aka Syfany represents the new generation of Czech natural winemakers – an innovative spirit with an engineering mind who combines business acumen with deep respect for the land. The winery name itself tells a family story: a combination of his parents' names, Sylva and František (nicknamed Fany), who started the agricultural business in the 1990s.

Formerly a grape-selling operation transformed into full-blown winery 2009, when Jakub returned from pruning vineyards in Western Australia to take over the family operation, abandoning his economics studies to dedicate himself to winemaking and farming. Today, he manages not only their 35ha of vineyards but also 400 hectares of fields. 

His path to natural winemaking was practical and curious: "Forget about yeasts, focus on good grapes." He gradually eliminated unnecessary sulfites (now he only uses 10ppm at bottling max), fining and filtration, to make the quality fruit stand on its own. 

Jakub is very committed to locality – their barrels come from a local cooper and local wood, some even from trees that grew in forests adjacent to his vineyards. He favours neutral acacia barrels – "nature's stainless steel containers" as he jokes.

Another thing you quickly note in his cellar are smart, custom made solutions, gizmos and gadgets (such as cleaning or wine blending systems) – Jakub invents most of these to make his winemaking life easier and more efficient, making the most of their extensive premises in a former collective farm, locally called JZD (united agricultural cooperative) during the communist era.

One of Jakub's “local loves” is André, his flagship variety, a local cross of Blaufrankisch and Saint Laurent. “I call it ‘Riesling among the reds' for its fruitiness and acidity, which makes it suitable for sparkling wine. Or for virtually any style, really – it ‘s excellent for pétillant naturel as well as for long bottle aging, for cuvées. The only thing you can't make with André is blanc de noirs because both the skin and pulp are colored, but otherwise… I even started experimenting with solera recently.”

(It’s a bit of an irony that this locally-bred variety, developed in nearby Velké Pavlovice and well adapted to local conditions, isn't recognised in the local Modré Hory AOC classification, but Jakub is rather cool with that, focusing on making name for the grape by the quality of his wines.)

In the vineyard, Syfany practices "sustainable plus" agriculture that gives him flexibility to respond to his vineyard's specific needs. “I’m not pursuing organic certification,” he explains, making clear his dislike of bureaucracy; “I have vineyards in forest-adjacent locations where humidity creates unique challenges and following some of these rules would mean being decimated by oidium. I'm not seeking labels; I know that I treat the land well. I want it to thrive even after I'm gone. I create, I don't destroy."

Since 2019, he's been experimenting with biodynamic practices on a secluded plot that allows him to develop these methods without external influence and unwanted chemicals from conventional neighbours. Initially struggling with fungal diseases until natural immunity and balance established themselves, this 1.2 ha vineyard now outperforms other vineyards that require more treatments, proving that nature knows best: “When the disease pressure gets really high, I run through with a bit of sulphur. But honestly that only happens like every other year,” he contends.

Planted with his beloved André, this site is the source of pet-nats, sekts and an occasional red cuvée. And the best part? Many of the biodynamic preparations are sourced locally, such as the horsetail growing near one of Jakub’s vineyards. A real terroir ecosystem…

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Fun facts

Jack, Jakub's Swiss Shepherd dog and inseparable companion that is always having a good time in the vineyard.

Come for the wine, stay for the coffee

The premises where Jakub’s winery is located also features a roastery, so Jakub's tasting room always has good coffee available as well .)