Production of Beverages

In the CR this sector is dominated by the production of beer, of which malt production is an intrinsic part. In 2016, beer production in the CR, including non-alcoholic beer, grew year-on-year to 20.5 million hl of beer. This growth is due to both the higher volume for the domestic market and the continuing positive trend in exports. This development is also supported by the fact that Czech beer carries a protected geographical indication. In 2016, domestic malt houses produced roughly 544 000 tonnes of malt. According to the CZSO, in 2016 the CR harvested 75 900 tonnes of wine grapes from 15 800 ha of productive vineyards. Wine grape production in 2016 was down by 16 % from last year. A total of roughly 565 000 hl of wine will produced from the grape harvest. This represents about one quarter of annual wine consumption in the CR. The deficiency in wine is made up for by the high import of raw materials and wine and, on the other hand, there is also the export of high-quality wines from the CR. For spirits the trend is away from highly aromatic kinds to spirits that are more neutral or slightly aromatic in character. Gin and vodka are finding popularity. Spirits with a lower content of ethanol are also seeing increasing demand, especially emulsion spirits of a creamy consistency. Tuzemák maintained its dominant position on the domestic market. The production of non-alcoholic beverages and mineral waters includes flavoured or sweetened beverages (lemonades, orangeades, colas, etc.) and mineral water as well as other bottled water. As concerns mineral water, the demand for natural water grew slightly. For flavoured water, it mainly concerns water with a low energy value. The total production of mineral water in 2016 came to 8.3 million hl.