The-scandal-that-dare-not-speak-its-name has mercifully faded from memory and wine drinkers are finally beginning to assess Austrian wine on its manifold merits. Not before time. Much of the credit for this can be laid at the door of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, of whom I wrote recently: “Their methods can hardly be faulted and are sound rather than suave, based on solid facts and figures and not vacuous waffle or vague assertions of quality.”

The Loisium Visitors’ Centre in Kamptal.

The AWMB is headed up by Willi Klinger and I’ll bet that there are many other generic promotional bodies who wished they had a dynamo like him in charge. When I first met him he worked for Freie Weingärtner Wachau, now Domäne Wachau, and he gave me a tour of their cellars, “… at breakneck speed dispensing anecdotes and technical information with equal facility.” (Read more here.)

He maintains the same relentless pace today and it was fitting that earlier this week he and his colleagues should be honoured by the German publishers Meininger with their ‘Award for Outstanding Achievement.” Knowing Klinger this award will act as a spur to increase promotional activity rather than an excuse to sit back and take it easy.

Tags: Austria