September 28th, 2013

So after my long pause from blogging I am here to post so very many things!  Around this time every year in Prague there is a festival of a certain type of wine called burčák.  It is a type of wine that has barely fermented so it is a very low alcohol content and is very bubbly.  You cannot let the bottle sit closed for more than an hour or it will blow up.  It is still fermenting and putting off so much gas that the bottle must always be open.  When you drink it, it is also said that as it sits in your stomach it slowly it slowly ferments and slowly keeps you drunk.  It seems like its an old wives tale but who knows.  The main festival is head at Karlstejn castle every year and there is food, performances and a parade of people dressed in medieval time clothing.

"Burčák is partially fermented young wine, which hits the wine bars of Prague in August, slightly ahead of vinobraní, the traditional festival celebrating the new wine harvest.  The opaque, yellowy-orange liquid is surprisingly drinkable, leading the unsuspecting drinker into a false sense of security.  Because burčák is so sweet, it doesn’t really taste like an alcoholic beverage, even though the alcohol content is between 5% and 8%.  Some even claim that because it’s only partially fermented, it’s possible for burčák to carry on fermenting in the bloodstream, though this is, in fact, scientifically impossible."

(Burčák Festival)

(Karlstejn Castle)

(Karlstejn Castle)

(Karlstejn Castle)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)

(Burčák Festival)