Why people don’t speak at the world’s best wine tasting.

In any case, it is clear that this silent tasting deliberately breaks away from the traditional tasting format – with a shared table, a set order, a set pace and direct interaction with other tasters – and instead focuses on concentration, precision and the individual freedom of the tasters.

What is the significance of this multitude of precise assessments, which are made in silence over the course of several days?

Once the international wine industry has spent several days gaining an overview of Austria’s most exciting wines, before they are released onto the market, the real hard work begins for the traditional wineries themselves:

This is because the experts’ assessments provide vital input for the vineyard classification, which is now entering its next phase. There are currently 145 ‘Erste Lagen’ (Premier Cru Vineyards), considered the best in the country. However, in the next step, the very best will emerge from among these. These will then be awarded the ‘Grosse Lage’ (Grand Cru) classification. But which vineyard sites are in the running? The ratings from the Single Vineyard Summit are compiled into a huge spreadsheet, and the ratings are now being examined vineyard by vineyard.

After all, for a Grand Cru, it is not enough for a single wine to be outstanding; rather, this quality must be confirmed in a tasting across all wines from that specific terroir.

And what about socialising?

It is precisely this interplay between silence and conversation that makes this tasting so special. The evenings are all about socialising. That is when wine really comes into its own: it brings people together, encourages conversation and spreads cheer. Added to this are the many friendships that this industry fosters. At concerts, dinners, vineyard picnics, or simply over a delicious glass of beer – something that’s never to be missed after an intensive wine tasting.