Nobody asked me if I was interested.
I was born into a family of winemakers without anyone asking me if I was interested in wine and working in the cellar. At first I found it more exciting to sit at my grandfather's tractor or hide in the cellar than to help with the harvest or clean the tanks in the cellar. So I went into the restaurant business because traveling the world and serving extraordinary dishes and opening expensive wines for guests is much cooler than sitting at home.
Practice makes the master.
That's what I thought at the time. At some point I went back and longed for something else to do where I didn't always have to be friendly and could spend more time outside. It was then somehow obvious that making wine wasn't such a bad thing after all and so in 2014 I was able to make my first wine and, as a result, my first sparkling wine from grapes that my father gave me. That's exactly when I got the bubble bug.
Got in sideways.
A lot has happened since then. From a small garage winery to a immensly huge cellar with a wine tavern in the Kamptal region, I've experienced it all. But since the wine business is rather thankless at the moment, and life sometimes takes unexpected turns, making sparkling wine is going to be a hobby again. No pressure, just pure enjoyment. In September 2025, I embarked on a new path and have the privilege of teaching young, motivated students at the HLF Krems (Higher Federal Institute for Agricultural Education), which means I don't have quite as much time left for sparkling wine anymore. But no need to panic, things will work out somehow. Differently, more relaxed, on a smaller scale.
Winery dog.
