I have found where Bacchus resides, and it’s in a small little wine bar in Vinohrady on Budečská 40. There’s no other explanation for Vínečko 33, where the most happy man alive resides over his small universe of five tables surrounded by wall murals of half naked medieval winery maidens and flocks of peasants jeering at a man being tortured.
A rather domestic choice on a Friday night to be sure, this little Moravian wine venue was nothing short of charming to the point of being otherworldly. Wine glasses, filled to the brim for just around 30 kc, are distributed by the owner who always looks on the verge of laughing at some inner joke, though he bustles around, almost visibly embarrassed by any glasses left empty. He doesn’t speak English, but it doesn’t matter as long as you can say what color wine you want, and he certainly doesn’t hold it against you. In fact, after hearing my tortured attempt to say “pink” in Czech, he just chortled and patted me on the shoulder, and gave me a glass of wine so full I had to slurp it down to move it.
The other patrons of the wine cellar were all Czech, and I got the feeling not many foreigners find this little place tucked below ground. On one side were several couples, and on the other what appeared to be a high school reunion of sorts, with a group of ladies in their 40s sitting around singing, laughing loudly and even eventually crying. It just seemed to fit perfectly. I was half expecting them to go out and start ripping goats apart with their teeth in a wine 
induced frenzy, because I think maybe the wine from the ancient Moravian vineyards might have some supernatural powers that people once wrote mythology about.
You can also take wine on tap to go – just bring a bottle of any kind and they will fill it up for a great price.
This place made me, perhaps irrationally, happy. It’s not exciting or different or unique – it’s just special. Reasonable wine, great prices, but most importantly, Moravian cheer.
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