Burcak, Get Your Drink On
Burcak(In Czech written as Burčák andpronuounced boorchaak) is a young Czech partially fermented wine. It is also know as Federweisser in Germany, in France as bourru or vernache, and in other places it is know as must. Burčak is what happens when freshly pressed grape juice ferments, it becomes must.
In Czech Republic the Czech wine laws stipulate that the grapes used must come from Czech Republic. The grapes come from Moravia, the wine making region of Czech Republic. The law only permits wineries to sell Burcak for a short period of time, from August 1st to the end of November. There are red and white Burcak varieties but the latter being more common of the two.
Burcak is a carbonated alcoholic drink that continues to ferment. Due to the carbonation and continued fermentation the wine must be transported and stored unsealed and upright allowing gasses to escape. The consequences of failing to due so result in exploding Burcak containers. This young wine can contain anywhere from 1 to 7% alcohol content. Of course the longer the wine sits the higher the alcohol content, though it is advised to drink it within 2 days of purchase. The longer the wine sits it becomes bitter and start loosing its carbonation.
Burcak besides being carbonated is sweet and instead of wine it feels as though you are drinking a non-alcoholic cider or juice spritzer. That is where the dangerous part comes in, people can easily forget and drink a bit too much. The legend here is that Burcak will continue to ferment in your stomach, but this is scientifically impossible. As a regular wine drinker it took 3 glasses before I could feel any “affect” from the Burcak, just saying.
The taste I can describe as O-M-G this is really good! Besides that I can say that to me it tastes like a pear cider, delicious. The taste is sweet, subtle and it slowly fades to the back of your palate. It is cloudy in appearance and the color looks like the color you would get if you made banana juice. The consistency is thin as any young wine would be. Burcak smells sweet with slight sour undertones from the light alcohol content. I am not an expert so this are my own personal observations.
So not only does this wine taste deliciously sweet, apparently there are some health benefits in every glass. (Any excuse is a good one to drink some Burcak) It contains lactic acids, Vitamins B1, B2 as well as the vitamins and minerals contained by the grapes. The yeast by-products and lactic acids help purify the body. Wow, why isn’t this stuff on tap year round?
Right now is the best time to get your glass or liter(s) of Burcak. We were lucky to have been in a shopping center with a wine bar advertising Burcak. With my horrible Czech pronunciation I asked for 2 glasses. Unfortunately not both for me but to share with my husband. As we stood there drinking our glasses of Burcak there was a constant stream of locals coming in for a glass or liter. Short on time we couldn’t wait in the long queue for a liter. On the taxi drive home much to the amusement of the taxi driver, as I spotted a sign outside one of our local wine bars I let out a loud and excited Burcak!! Laughing he said something along the lines of yes it’s a good drink and you must go buy some. I did, 2 liters and they are almost gone. I may or may not solely be responsible for the disappearance of it. Hiccup! Well, the remaining Burcak is sitting all lonely on my table waiting to be drunk or is it waiting for me to get drunk…
To you I say Na Zdraví! (cheers) and nashledanou!(goodbye). Duty calls.
Drink responsibly and have a large snack or hearty meal to minimize the effects of this sneaky alcohol.
P.S.
Don’t forget to stop by The Ardent Epicure for Moonfish in Chili Lemon Sauce and a Giveaway. Enter your chance to win An Epiphany of The Senses cookbook!
Never heard of this drink but from my point of view as I was reading this you seem have a lot of expertise…very professionally written! Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures and info!!
Hi Sandra, Too bad you’ve never heard of it because it really is tasty. Thanks:)!
Sounds like a nice drink and since I am a wine drinker, this will be something I will enjoy, beautiful color.
Thanks and yes I’m sure you would enjoy it!
Beautiful picture! I love carbonated everything! Why does the bubbly make me so happy? This sounds delicious. I suppose it would be hard to find outside of the Czech Republic? I’m not a big wine drinker, but this sounds like something I would totally enjoy!
Hi Laura, Thanks! It really is delicious, you almost can’t stop drinking it:) They don’t export this one because of the dangers but I did read that some wineries do make it. Perhaps a little research in Napa might yield something? Good luck
I’ve never heard of this before, but I’m all for wine with added {health} benefits :-) Fun pictures too!
Thanks:)!
Like pear cider eh? Sold! Am thinking of loads of dishes this would be fantastic in.
Hi Hester, Yeppers:) If only the bottles didn’t risk explosion I’d send you some.
Lucky you! Just another reason to go to Czech Republic. However, I would probably be one of the people who would drink too much of it because its has that cider taste :)
Hi Amy, Yes you must visit C.R. Hehe don’t worry there is always a hearty snack to go with a glass(es) of Burcak.
I have not heard of this drink before but it sure does sound delicious and I am more of a wine drinker than any other alcohol. Going to look for it next time I go shopping :)
Hi Kankana, Good luck and I do hope you find it:)
This is one I have not tried but it looks/sounds delightful! Not that I need an excuse to drink wine, but health benefits are a plus ;)
Hehe, I knew you would share my joy for this:) Perhaps you can find some and give it a try.
Oh, delicious! I’ve had an Italian carbonated wine and it was amazing…I can only imagine how tasty this is! GREAT post!
Hi Ann, Me too and it was sweet and fizzy but not like this one. This one is just so unique. Thanks:)
Ahoj!
Wow! Do you live in the Czechlands, too? I live in Brno, and burčak is something we look forward to every year. (At first we thought it was totally strange, but now we’re down with the slightly fizzy, half-fermented stuff.) We’ve got a pretty good hook on some — one of my fiancé’s coworker’s husbands is a winemaker. We’re getting some today! (I’m really excited!)
There’s only one thing you forgot to mention, though: it often smells really horrible. It tastes great, but sometimes it just smells … well, gross. Or maybe you’ve never been dumb enough to give the bottle a big ol’ whiff.
Zdrávíčku!
Ahoj Sara! Yes in Prague:) That is great that you’ll have some very soon. Yummy and reminds me I need to go buy some more, hehe. You know I found the smell a bit strange but not horrible. Perhaps because as you said I didn’t give the bottle a big or long whiff. I only smelled my glass and didn’t find it too horrible. Thanks for the tip, I’ll make sure not to give it a long smell:) Hezky Vikend!
Someday I will be back in Prague between August and November and I will definitely try this!! I was surprised at how good the Moravian wines were, given that the beer is the famous thing … Just drank my last bottle of Frankovka in fact! : )
Hi Trixie, Definitely you should come back during those months. You’ll also arrive right in the middle of mushroom season. Make sure you also try the potato mushroom soup, it’s amazing! Yes some Moravian wines aren’t too bad. Frankovka is usually my Czech wine of choice. Glad to hear you brought some back with you:)
Pure heaven!
Thanks Emily!
Hi Nancy!
I tried this wine in Burgundy around this time a few years ago and it was exactly the same color.
I remember my friends that I was visiting were very happy to serve it, I think we had it at lunch.
Beautiful pictures;-)
Hi Patty, Really? That’s great! Thanks sweeite:)
Oooh we were in Prague recently but somehow missed trying this! Sounds yum.
Hi Katherine, Oh too bad:( But I’m sure you still got to try great Czech things.
That wine must have been special in Prague. I want have it during the winter and I will probably visit Prague sometime in February.
Hi, Yes unfortunately it won’t be available in February. But make sure you try some Moravian wine to taste a little bit of the culture:)
Hello,
since I am currently staying in the burcak capital, Brno, I must agree that burcak is delicious. Also I’ve heard that to be healthy you should each year (each burcak season) drink at least as much burcak as there is blood in your body. So bottoms up! :)
Hi Enti, LOL, well I need to catch up on my burcak drinking so I can stay healthy:) Enjoy your trip in Brno!
Fascinating. I’d love to try this but who knows where one could find it in the US… ?
Hi Frank, Perhaps the Czech immigrants to the US have continued the Burcak traditions there? Good luck and I hope you do find it.
Now I have to make it out your way for sure, lol. I had no idea what this was, but I had to know. I guess it wouldn’t ship too well if you can’t cork it. Darn, it would have to be drunken immediately, I suppose that would turn me into a drunkard? He he. Hope you enjoy the weekend, sounds like you are off to a wonderful start.
-Gina-
Hi Gina, Yeah too bad, but I think we would both get arrested for explosive drinks:) Definitely if you came to visit we could sit down together each with our own bottle, or two. Hehe, it’s okay what I hear is that the towns where they make it are virtually drunk the whole time. Lol! Thanks sweetie, you too.
I have never heard of Burcak before. Sounds so interesting. I want to try!!
Hi Beth, It is rather interesting as a drink and something to definitely try if the opportunity arises:)
Great drink!
And you have two awards waiting for you here http://en.alterkitchen.it/2011/09/26/pretzels/
Hi Giuletta, Thanks :) I’ll head over in a bit.
If Burcak tastes like pear cider I know I’d love it! Very interesting read – from your description it’s like wine interrupted in the fermentation process… I’d love to try it some day :)
Hi Priscilla, I think it would be very hard to find someone who doesn’t like Burcak, so I’m sure you would love it. Perhaps you will :)
Great article! I didn’t realize this existed until after I left Prague but will have to give it a try next time I’m in town. Hopefully it isn’t too sweet for me but I’ll never refuse a chance to try a new drink! Thanks for the info! Na zdraví!
Thank you Cameron. Burcak is definitely a sweet wine but it is so unique that you’ll quickly get past that. I do hope you can give it a taste — but it is only available during the summer and early autumn months, good luck and na zdravi to you!