The Ultimate Austrian Wineguide 2022/23

 IMPRINT EDITORIAL

 IMPRINT EDITORIAL  falstaff ULTIMATE WINE GUIDE DEAR READERS, DEAR FRIENDS OF AUSTRIAN WINE Copyright © 2022 by Falstaff Publications Ltd. (Falstaff Verlags GmbH) All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Peter Moser is hereby identified as author of this work in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Editor in chief: Peter Moser Managing editor: Petra Kirchmayer Editor: Claudia Schindlmaisser Tasting assistant: Konstantin Schindlmaisser Translation: Falstaff International Art director: Marcus Wiesner Art Dir. Marketing & Sales: Thomas Kepplinger Producer: Michael Lenhart Technical support: Robert Pleniger Supported by: Georg Morawitz-Holeschofsky Noah Neururer Noa Oestreicher Lisa Steiner First published in 2002 by Falstaff Publications Ltd. Führichgasse 8/2, A - 1010 Vienna, Austria Printed by NEOGRAFIA, a.s. Sucianska 39A, 038 61 Martin-Priekopa Slowakei Peter Moser Born in 1961 in Krems, descendant of the famous Austrian wine dynasty. Since 1997 he has been Editor-in-Chief of the Falstaff magazine, responsible for the wine department. He has travelled the world’s wine regions since the mid-1980s, but his expertise lies in the field of Austrian wine. The Falstaff Weinguide is an annual compilation of Moser’s scores and wine descriptions of Austria’s leading wineries. (E-Mail: peter.moser@falstaff.com) Falstaff Publications Ltd. Publisher: Angelika and Wolfgang M. Rosam Managing director: Elisabeth Kamper, Ronald Tomandl, Michael Spreitzhofer (CDO) The publishing house, estab lished in 1980 in Vienna by Hans Dibold and Dr. Helmut Romé, publishes nine issues per year of the wine and gourmet magazine Falstaff in German language, the Falstaff Weinguide, the Falstaff Rotweinguide (www.falstaff.at, E-Mail: redaktion@falstaff.at), the Falstaff Wine Guide Germany (www.falstaff.de, E-Mail: redaktion@falstaff.de), the Falstaff Restaurantguide (www.falstaffgourmetclub.at, E-Mail: office@falstaffgourmetclub.at) and numerous other guides. We are celebrating a milestone for the 25th edition of our annual wine report. For a quarter of a century, we have been presenting the best wines in Austria in a cumulative manner. This is well-timed for this special edition, with an outstanding vintage of 2021. If we were not experiencing rather turbulent times - the Corona pandemic has not yet been defeated, and peace has not yet been restored in the unfortunately impacted Ukraine - we could be even more thrilled about these excellent wines. In any case, our talented winegrowers have not held back. They have produced a wide range of first-class wines even under challenging conditions, which can now be enjoyed again in the culinary sector and not only at home. Just recently, at international wine fairs such as Prowein or VieVinum, traders and customers were again able to see the quality of our latest wines, and the response was positive. The demand for Austrian wines is currently higher than ever, and international buyers are also re-emerging. And the interest is equally directed towards the great white wines as well as the red wines. The upward trend in exports had already been announced in the previous year’s figures. But what no one even dared to imagine: 2020 was the best export year ever. As the figures from Statistik Austria confirm, export revenues in 2021 rose by 29.5 million euros to 216.8 million euros (+15.7%), which means the highest value growth of all time. The 200 million euro mark was exceeded for the first time. The exported volume reached 70.2 million litres (+3.8 %), and the average value climbed once again to over three euros per litre. The main Peter Moser Editor-in-Chief export generators were Austria’s quality white wines, such as Grüner Veltliner. In addition to the EU countries, the export figures for non-EU countries such as the USA, Canada, and China also rose sharply. A very positive indicator was also the Viennese wine fair Vie- Vinum, which celebrated its comeback in May 2022 after four years. Many private visitors took the opportunity to explore the new vintages with around 500 exhibitors, but the number of trade visitors was also particularly remarkable. In order to create maximum added value for Austria’s winemakers, the focus of VieVinum this year was on professionals from the trade, press, and top gastronomy, and the ÖWM supported these efforts by inviting around 1,000 experts to Vienna from over 50 countries. The visitors experienced the highest international calibre of wines, which is apparent in this current wine guide. The domestic winegrowers are committed to ensuring they are well prepared for the future. The growing number of sustainably, organically, and biodynamically certified wineries is 4 falstaff WINE GUIDE 2022/23 5