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In the case of the possibly manipulated Sommelier State Championship 2023 in Austria, the public prosecutor's office will not initiate investigations, as there is no initial suspicion. This has already been communicated to those affected in writing. A sommelier accused the Sommelier Union Austria (SUA) of having manipulated the competition. The later winner Maximilian Steiner (picture center) was allegedly given the jury's questions in advance.
According to statements from a member of the board of the SUA, the allegations were never presented in written form until July 2025, but only verbally without the submission of records or evidence. The president of the SUA, Annemarie Foidl (in the picture left), subsequently requested concrete evidence from the whistleblower. The whistleblower then demanded that the SUA "present a concrete concept of how this case will be processed." Foidl suggested contacting the international umbrella organization Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) to ensure an independent investigation. Additionally, the lawyer of the SUA urged the whistleblower to file a complaint against the SUA and to substantiate or withdraw the allegations. The whistleblower then filed a criminal complaint for "competition manipulation" with the public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck on August 26, 2025 – however, not against the association, but against its technical director Carole Rohrmoser-Stein. She had prepared Maximilian Steiner for the competition and is alleged to have provided him with the questions in advance.
However, the public prosecutor's office in Innsbruck informed Rohrmoser-Stein on August 27, 2025, that no investigation proceedings would be initiated. This step is justified by the fact that "the presentation of facts does not reveal any initial suspicion of a criminal act." "There is neither a fraud-related financial damage nor a legal action in connection with the alleged 'competition manipulation' evident." The accusations "do not establish an initial suspicion of a crime in any way." (Emails and documents are available wein.plus.)
The case has made it to the front pages of daily newspapers in Austria and the reporting of the public broadcaster ORF and is partly referred to as a "new wine scandal." The processing now lies with the Ethics and Compliance Commission of the ASI. A new board was elected in the affected Tyrolean sommelier association on Friday. The competition for the "Best Sommelier of Austria 2025" will take place on November 3 in Vienna. The technical management will be taken over by a jury from Latvia, chaired by the sommelier world champion of 2023, Raimonds Tomsons.
(al)
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