I just returned from a trip to Prague. Not only is it the most beautiful city in Europe, but it oddly resembles a Tootsie Pop. The exterior of Prague is a thick layer of baroque and gothic architecture: gargoyles, statuary and spires. But if you delve underneath this crusty surface, you will find a golden interior: classic, turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau. The Hotel Central, the Hotel-Pariz, and Smetana Hall at Municipal House have an elegance that surpasses any Art Nouveau that I have ever seen, even in Paris.
The grandest expression of Art Nouveau of all is the formal dining room of the Francouzska Restaurace (French Restaurant). This is a room so stunning that it was given a feature role in the splendid Czech film I Served the King of England. I was led to the Francouzska by instinct: although Prague is a cheap city, I have a talent for finding the one place that absolutely exceeds my means. As I schlepped through the crystal doors, the Maitre d’ gave me the kind of up-and-down look that I usually only get from one of my ex-girlfriends. For a moment I thought he was going to direct me and my dirty t-shirt to a nearby Burger King, but with pained courtesy, he seated me for one of the best, but most expensive, dinners of my life.
Clear soup, pork knuckle terrine, and duck stuffed with almonds paraded across the table, but what made the meal truly special was a flight of Czech wines to match each course. The Czech Republic is well known for its beers, but it also has a rapidly growing wine industry centered around the southern region of Moravia, which shares a border and a climate conditions with the successful (and cheap) vineyards of Austria. Like Ontario, this is a place for cool-climate grapes: mainly white wines, but also a few light reds like Pinot Noir.
I’m sold: Czech wine is aromatic and charming. The evening was topped off when the wait staff overcame their initial skepticism and presented me with a book about Czech viticulture. I’d like to think this was because I was showing such enthusiasm for the native product, but on reflection, it may simply be because I had defeated all expectations. Notwithstanding the stubble, stains and scuffs, my credit card was good.
Next week: tasting notes for Czech wine.
Matthew Sullivan is a civil litigator in Toronto. He writes a weekly blog entry here on lawandstyle.ca. The Short Cellar column appears in the print edition of Precedent. Matthew can be reached at matthew@lawandstyle.beta-site.ca