Vienna Fair Highlights

I can’t champion the Vienna Wine Fair enough – an impressive 3 day event for the wine industry AND public!

My father and I had the best time – the video says it all!

My key Fair take aways:
1.    Vienna is THE city for wine lovers. With 582 hectares within Vienna’s city limits under vine – there are 630 wineries you can visit. I loved the area of Cobenzl for the hilly views and the amazing wine taverns & wineries – only a 25 minute drive from the centre

2.    Gruner is still one of my fave grapes due to its ability to combine ripeness, brightness and versatility with food. It can age just as long as Riesling – and unites Chardonnay lovers with its ability to be both chisselled as well as opulently oaked. The Wienvertal masterclass introduced a whole new region for me to explore this grape in its most classic form.

3.    In case we didn’t know it already – Brexit has made life way more complicated. My father & I tasted many amazing wines which were exported elsewhere but not the UK. UK importers who I rely on for my Austrian wine are: @hhandcwine@clark_foyster_wines@alpinewines@goodwinegoodpeople@liberty_wines

4.    Austria has a millennia of grape growing history but is at the forefront of viticultural development with 22% of Austrian wineries being biodynamic and / or organic. The Austrian’s sustainable projects have been voted top 3 globally!

5.    It’s not  just Gruner. At ‘The Same But Different’ tasting we tasted a range of grapes, classic & cutting edge natural styles, from industry veterans to young new comers. There is something for everyone and it demonstrated Austria’s ability to respect tradition but still innovate.

6.    Hospitality and organization are of the highest level. For such a huge fair (over 1,200 visitors), the masterclasses, tasting stands and food venues ran seamlessly and in abundance.
Thank you so much @vievinum and @austrianwine ! It was a wonderful reminder how wine is inextricably linked to culture and I hope you can share more Austrian wine and experiences with the UK over the months to come.

Prost!