|
|
The first scientific standard work on the history of Austrian wine has been published. The 700-page book "Wein in Österreich: Die Geschichte" was initiated by Österreich Wein Marketing GmbH (ÖWM) and has been published by Brandstätter Verlag. On 700 pages it illuminates the historical development of Austrian viticulture from prehistoric times to the present.
More than two and a half years of work went into the 60 Euro book, which was written on the initiative of the former ÖWM managing director Willi Klinger and under the scientific direction of Prof. Dr. Karl Vocelka. More than 40 authors have worked on the history of Austrian wine in all its facets. Among them are, for example, the grape varieties, cultural and cellar techniques, the role of wine in religion and customs, the emergence of the Austrian wine-growing regions and the development after 1985.
According to an ÖWM press release, the claim of the new standard work is "to consider Austria's wine history with scientific meticulousness, taking into account all formative periods: earliest viticultural evidence in prehistory, first systematic cultivation in the Roman period, peak periods in the Middle Ages due to spiritual influence, modern developments in the course of urbanisation and the serious caesuras in the 20th century due to the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, the Nazi era and the wine scandal" In a separate chapter, the German journalist Dr. Daniel Deckers also examines the much-discussed career of Friedrich Zweigelts (1888-1964); in the course of his meticulous research in various archives, Deckers came across previously unseen material.
(uka / Photo: ÖWM)