The weekend in mid-November at Schloss Johannisberg was all about Spätlese. On Friday, November 14th, we hosted a masterclass in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the legendary “Spätlese” discovery. During a tasting, we offered our guests the unique opportunity to compare sweet wines from around the world.

At 6:30 p.m., the Spätlesereiter-hall echoed with cries of Jó estét!, Bonsoir!, Servus, and 晚上好. Guests included the Disnóko Winery from the Tokaj region in Hungary, Château Suduiraut from Sauternes in France, the Heidi Schröck Winery from Lake Neusiedl in Austria, and Château Changyu from Ice Wine Valley in China. Each winery presented its philosophy and individual craftsmanship, as well as one or two wines. From Schloss Johannisberg, we served our guests our Ex Bibliotheca Cuvée »100« Spätlese and a 2019 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Grünlack Spätlese. The masterclass was moderated by Lin Liu MW.

We spent the second part of the evening at the restaurant Schlossschänke, enjoying a hearty five-course meal accompanied exclusively by sweet wines. Here, too, the variety of wines was impressive. Christina Fischer was our host, analyzing the interplay between food and wine down to the smallest detail and guiding us entertainingly through the evening. This evening was a delicious journey through the sweet treasures of international wineries, and it was wonderful to see the extensive network that a fascination with sweet wines can create.

On November 15th, the eventful weekend continued, as we once again had the honor of hosting the graduation ceremony of the Austrian Wine Academy. On this day, 24 students were awarded the title of “Weinakademiker.”

One of the graduates, Nina Veldhuis, was awarded a scholarship from us, which we symbolically presented to her with a magnum bottle of Schloss Johannisberg Grünlack Riesling Spätlese.