Bohemia Sekt s.r.o., Czech Republic

“Black Widow” is the start of the success story

The production of excellent wines in the small Czech town of Starý Plzenec can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when monks at local monasteries found out about the existence of wine cellars in the area. In the late 1940s, Czech vintners learn firsthand from French cellarer Louis Girardot about the methods involved in making champagne. A winery is established in Starý Plzenec in 1942 and in the late 1940s it produces a sparkling red wine that trades under the name of Black Widow. It becomes famous across the country and forms the cornerstone for the ongoing success of the company Bohemia Sekt a.s. In 1953, the firm opts to specialise in the production of sparkling wine only, expanding its product range and making use of the latest technology in its winery.

Excellent local wines for outstanding sparkling wine

The Bohemia brand is launched in 1970, and to this day it remains the winery’s bestknown and most popular product. Within its very first year, over 1 million litres are sold – a sensational success for a company still so young by the standards of the business. After the political upheaval of 1989, the state-owned company becomes independent in 1991 and then becomes a joint stock company two years later. By 1997, it is using the name Bohemia Sekt Ceskomoravská vinarska and is bought by Henkell & Co. in the same year. Two years later, it is fully incorporated into its parent company. All of its products bear the same name, and all of its sparkling wines are made from excellent base wines produced in the country’s grape-growing regions of southern Moravia.

Adding spirits to its range

Five well-known wineries are incorporated into the company in 1997, one of them is the famous Vino Mikulov name, and since then, Bohemia Sekt not only leads the Czech market for sparkling wines – it is number one in the overall wine market. At the start of 2005, it adds the spirit brands Pražská Vodka, Dynybyl, Nordic Ice and Silver Ice, and these Czech spirits are also joined by German brand Wodka Gorbatschow. With its spirits range selling well, Bohemia Sekt is now a true institution in the Czech Repub- lic, exporting its wares to meet growing demand around Europe. Today, one of its brands continues to honour the memory of the company’s origins: premium brand Louis Girardot bears the name of the French cellarer who brought his knowledge to the country sixty years ago, where he lay the cornerstone for a remarkable success story.