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The renowned Austrian winery F.X. Pichler has left the Vinea Wachau wine association. This was announced by the winery. The reason is the new DAC regulation, which will come into force in the Wachau with vintage 2020. It provides for a three-level categorisation of the qualities into area, local and Rieden wines. Lucas Pichler criticises that there is now a duplication of effort, as the DAC regulations are entirely aimed at marketing the origin, while the Vinea Wachau regulations continue to be based on sugar grades.
"The introduction of the DAC regulation would have been the right time to amend the Vinea regulations - for example, limiting the designation Emerald to the best locations or abolishing the sugar categories that have become obsolete anyway due to climate change," explained Lucas Pichler. As he was unable to convince the Vinea managers of this, he resigned from his position on the Vinea board in spring 2020 and is now leaving the association with immediate effect. "This is a very difficult step," said Pichler, "because my family has worked in the Association for many years, we owe a lot to the system created in 1983 and we have very close friendships with many members."
(uka / photo: Marcus Rössle)