For many passionate wine lovers and well-traveled connoisseurs, Wein am Berg which translates to “Wine on the Mountain” has long been a highlight of the culinary calendar …
Situated in the lesser known but still picturesque Austrian town of Sölden the four day Wein am Berg festival has long been a highlight for gourmets, foodies and oenophile where top-class winemakers and the culinary elite come together in what can only be described as beautiful surroundings 3,000 m above sea level in front of the unique glacier backdrop.
Dating back to 1999 the festival began when Anton Kollwentz, the former president of Austria’s Burgenland vineyards, paid a visit to Das Central, Sölden’s first five-star hotel. During his stay he soon discovered that the hotel’s former manager, Gottlieb Waschl, had a passion for wine and the two oenophiles set about on a mission to bring their homeland’s two most precious commodities together: wine and winter sports!
Each year the festival takes on a different theme last years for instance the event invited winemakers and chefs from Piedmont, Italy, who joined a line-up of established Austrian gastronomes to present “Austria meets Piedmont” this year the festival will look to Belgium, the Netherlands & Luxembourg in an event titled “Austria meets Benelux,” with wines being presented from the Winkler-Hermaden wine making estate whose main focus is on the red wine variety Blauer Zweigelt, the Tement wine estate whose focus is on white wines, the Gross wine estate who focuese on wine varieties, such as pinot blanc, Yellow Muscatel, Sauvignon Blanc or Slovenian Furmint and the multi award-winning Bründlmayer Winery to name but a few.
In addition to great food and drink artists provide a unique cultural framework program. For those who love to ski and to be honest who wouldn’t when in these surroundings, prominent ski guides are flown in especially for the weekend. What could be better, hitting the slopes before toasting your effects with a glass of finest!
On the final day the festival culminates in the Big Bottle Party hosted on the Giggijoch mountain restaurant, which sits 2,000m above sea level. Here the corks of magnums, jeroboams and methuselahs are popped with guest chefs from both host nations taking charge of the kitchen. This this is one party not to be missed.
The Wein am Berg festival takes place from 23-26 April 2020. Package starts from approx. €1,726.00 per person in a double room at Das Central including three-day Wein am Berg programme and a two-day ski pass
For further information and bookings visit www.central-soelden.com
