Wine & Spirits publishes a list of the world's 50 most influential wine makers

When we opened the envelope containing the latest Wine & Spirits Magazine special issue about the world’s most influential wine makers, it contained a little note of congratulation and we found the name Bründlmayer not once, but twice:

A Role Model

In a short profile, Peter Liem describes Willi Bründlmayer’s importance for Austrian wine. After 20 years at the helm of the Kamptal family winery, he has become exemplary for the new generation of wine producers, writes the author.

Part of his function as a role model lies in Willi’s readiness to innovate based on thorough research. His use of Austrian acacia instead of oak for the maturation of Grüner Veltliner and his success with the Lyra training of vines receive a special mention.

Careful

“I want to be surprised and don’t want to approach a wine with a fixed idea of how it should taste,” the Langenlois producer is quoted to say. “every vintage creates a wine with its own identity, a new personality, and one has to get to know them first.” Only the “cultivation of the relation between man and nature” makes a wine meaningful.

Among the Best one of the Cheapest

The editors also wanted to prove that excellent wine does not have to come with an impossible price tag attached. A sample case of 12 international wines is offered as a demonstration. Among this distinguished if reasonably-priced dozen is our Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein 2001.