Apricots in South Moravia, apples everywhere, and the hops that make the world’s beer — a guide to Czech produce by season.
Czech farmland is dominated by cereals and rapeseed, but the interesting produce is elsewhere: the orchards of South Moravia, the hop fields around Žatec, and the vineyards that supply a wine industry almost nobody outside the country has heard of.
The main crops
Winter wheat, barley, rapeseed, sugar beet, maize and potatoes cover most arable land. Two specialities matter far more than their acreage suggests: hops Und wine grapes.
Fruit, by region
Moravia has more orchards than Bohemia, and the south is warm enough for apricots, peaches, plums and even almonds. Bohemia leans towards apples, pears and cherries. Apples are the everyday Czech fruit — the country grows a lot of them and cooks with them constantly.
What is in season when
Juni: strawberries, then cherries. July: apricots, currants, raspberries. August: plums, peaches, early apples. September–October: apples, pears, grapes, and the wine harvest. Farmers’ markets — Náplavka on Saturday is the best known — follow this calendar closely.
Plums and what happens to them
Czech plums mostly end up as slivovice, a plum brandy that is a household product in Moravia, often distilled from a family’s own fruit. It is strong, taken neat, and offered to guests at any hour.
Hops
Der Žatec (Saaz) region grows one of the world’s great aroma hops, protected by origin designation and used in pilsners worldwide. The hop landscape around Žatec is on the UNESCO list.
Wine
Almost all Czech wine comes from South Moravia, and most of it is white — Veltlínské zelené, Ryzlink, Pálava. Production is small, so little is exported: drinking it here is essentially the only option.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
What fruit is the Czech Republic known for?
Apples nationally, and apricots and plums in South Moravia. Plums matter most culturally, because of slivovice.
Is Czech wine any good?
Yes, particularly the aromatic whites from South Moravia. It is rarely exported, so try it here.
When is the fruit harvest?
Strawberries and cherries in June, apricots in July, plums in August, apples and grapes in September and October.
Read more: the September wine festivals, what to eat in Prague Und food markets and events.
Last reviewed in August 2026.
