This is the book on Austria’s predominant red wine grape variety. It is a crossing of Blaufänkisch and St. Laurent developed at the world’s oldest school of enology in Klosterneuburg, Austria. Professor Zweigelt originally named it Rotburger, but it is now most commonly known by his name.
I was co-author of this book along with several colleagues. It is available in German here.
Christine Mayr asked me last year to develop a one-day course for the Accademia del Vino Alto Adige in Caldero, Italy to help non-native English-speaking wine professionals polish their English for the wine trade. Participants would be predominantly employees of local wineries: oenologists, viticulturists, export managers, tasting room directors, sales people, and sommeliers. After gaining advice from wine educators Richard Bampfield MW of the UK and Marianne Frantz in the US, I was able to design a course. It hasn’t been an easy task due to the different levels of English knowledge, different needs in the trade, and last but now least, three hours is not a lot of time. What I have come up with is what influences how the wine in our glass tastes and how to describe the wine in the glass. We go through the very basics of climate, soil, grape varieties, viticulture, winemaking and sensory evaluation of eight wines. The couse has been tailored specifically to the Alto Adige wine region in northern Italy. The feedback has been good, Christine keeps inviting me back and the nuber of participants is growing, so I hope that people are finding it useful. I certainly enjoy going to the region. the people are friendly, there are very interesting wines there, and as you can see by these short videos, it is a gorgeous region.
Blue skies, snow capped mountains, lakes glistening in the sun, vines, and blooming apple trees – how lucky I am to be here on such a glorious spring day.
Filmed at the very recommendable Manincor Estate in Caldero.
Will Blaufränkisch champion the wine world? Not likely – there would never be enough of it to satisfy surging global demands. There are single producers of Bordeaux that produce more red wine than all of Austria will ever produce of Blaufränkisch. Despite this, the grape variety is truly unique and expressive and it has the capacity to produce superb quality wines with outstanding ageing potential that express a sense of place. This is the guide with insider information about the variety and its producers in Austria. I was co-author of this book. It is available in German only here.
I adore Grüner Veltliner. As much as I travel in the wine regions of the world and appreciate the diversity of wine, I am always eager to pour myself a glass of GV upon returning home to Austria. Grüner Veltliner and Austrian wine is an inspiring story of success – from underdog to darling of the wine world. The Grüner Veltliner book has appeared in its second addition – both in German and in English. I was co-author of all four books and editor of the two English editions.
You can find the book here.
A book about the sensory appraisal of wine was needed in the German language. After years as a translator and editor, I wrote “Weinsensorik” in 2005. You can find it here.
Since 2002, I have worked closely with Peter Moser and Falstaff Publications as the English editor of the annual guide of Austrian wines called “The Ultimate Austrian Wine Guide”.
The guide can be odered here.
Teaching about wine is one of the most rewarding things I do. I love sharing knowledge about something I enjoy so much and I always learn something from my students as well.
Various institutions and programs that I teach or have taught include:
WSET Diploma at the Weinakademie Österreich (Austrian Wine Academy) in Rust, Austria
WSET Diploma at the Weinakademie Österreich (Austrian Wine Academy) in Geisenheim, Germany
Diplom Sommelier at WIFI Tirol in Innsbruck, Austria
Johnson & Wales University at the German Wine School in Coblence, Germany
Academia del Vino in Caldaro, Italy
Weinfachberater Deutsche Wein & Sommelier Schule in Munich, Germany
Other clients for presentations, seminars and discussion panels include:
European Wine Bloggers Conference
Brown-Forman Global Wine Seminar
Society of Wine Educators Annual Conference