Premieres, perspectives and personal encounters

In total, more than 300 experts from 30 countries attended: 97 from the sommelier and gastronomy sectors, 72 specialist journalists, 117 from the trade and 20 from the education sector. A total of 309 ÖTW Erste Lage wines and 250 other top wines from partner regions were served during the professional silent tasting.

Weinviertel premiere – a milestone

With the 2024 vintage, the Weinviertel region has finally arrived in the top tier. For the first time, guests were able to experience the Erste Lage vineyards of Austria's largest wine region – elegant wines with a distinct terroir character that surprised with their freshness, structure and character.

“Our single vineyard wines reflect the vastness, tranquillity and special climate of the Weinviertel region – and they show that, in addition to classic Grüner Veltliner, we can also offer Riesling, Pinot Blanc and cuvées of the highest quality,”says Stefan Tscheppe, the Chair of ÖTW Weinviertel.

What is particularly exciting is that many Weinviertel single vineyards are monopole sites. For most of the international guests, this was their first opportunity to taste Rieslings and Burgundy varieties from these gems of origin – a chapter in Austrian wine culture that has now been opened as part of the Single Vineyard Summit organised by Österreichische Traditionsweingüter.

From expert to expert

The summit remained true to its original concept: winemakers themselves served their wines and were on hand to answer questions and engage in in-depth discussions. This direct interaction is one of the reasons why the event is considered a must-attend date in the international wine trade calendar.

“It is a rare opportunity to taste 309 wines from the ÖTW Erste Lage –along with guest regions such as Leithaberg, Eisenberg and the Styrian STK wineries,” added Lana Morozova (Wine4You), who takes home a wealth of information to use in courses and trainings for sommeliers.

In addition to Österreichische Traditionsweingüter wineries, STK wineries from Styria, the Burgenland regions of Eisenberg and Leithaberg and Vinea Wachau were also represented again this year. Together, they offered a panorama of over 500 wines from 120 individual vineyards.

Delightful premieres

For the first time, the summit kicked off with a sparkling wine masterclass on Monday morning, led by Sascha Speicher – a sparkling start that put the quality of Austrian sparkling wines in the spotlight.

There were also culinary innovations: in addition to the trusted partners Zalto Glass and Vöslauer Water, guests were treated to Kanzi coffee freshly brewed by a barista and draught beer from the Trumer private brewery – small moments of pleasure that rounded off the intensive tasting days.