AD VINUM: Chef-Sommelier's 5-Course Austrian Wine Journey

How to Complete

4 steps to experience this fully

1. 🍷 1

   Book Chef-Sommelier's Pairing Menu

   wine $$$

   Christoph Simonich is both chef AND sommelier—rare even in Austria's Gault Millau circles—designing a 5-course menu around wines from his personal 8,000-bottle cellar at AD VINUM. Expect Tyrolean ingredients (local trout, Alpine vegetables, beef from nearby farms) paired with Austrian wines you won't find on most lists in this 2-toque, 25-seat restaurant. Reserve 3-5 days ahead via ad-vinum.at, specify 'sommelier pairing menu,' and arrive on time at the modern chalet complex on main Dorfstrasse (Christoph runs a tight ship). Budget €120-150/person with pairings and tell your server upfront if you want to geek out about Austrian wine regions.

   🔄 BACKUP: If fully booked, ask if bar seating available for wine-only tasting (sometimes they accommodate 3-wine flight without full dinner, €30-40). Alternative: Wine & Dine at Hotel Bergland (200-wine list, more availability, less exclusive but reliable).

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2. 🍷 2

   Taste Grüner Veltliner Across Austrian Terroirs

   wine $$$

   Request a Grüner Veltliner vertical tasting during Course 1—different Austrian regions, same grape, revealing massive terroir differences. Wachau's granite terraces produce wines with minerality, citrus, and white pepper that age 10+ years. Kremstal versions are rounder and softer. Weinviertel's loess soils make fresh young wines for everyday drinking. Christoph explains: 'Grü-Vee put Austrian whites on the world map after the 1985 antifreeze scandal forced a quality revolution'—making the tasting richer as you drink wines that rebuilt a nation's reputation.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Grü-Vee vertical unavailable (inventory), request Austrian white comparison: Grüner vs. Riesling vs. Sauvignon Blanc (Styria). Still showcases Austrian diversity beyond 'Alps + Germany'—they make world-class whites.

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3. 🍷 3

   Compare How Vintage Affects Austria's Answer to Pinot

   wine $$$

   During the main course (likely Tyrolean beef), taste two Blaufränkisch vintages side-by-side—Austria's indigenous red that's spicier than Pinot Noir but similar structure. 2018 was HOT in Austria, showing riper fruit and softer tannins. 2020 was COOL and rainy, making the same grape taste earthier, firmer, more peppery. The contrast teaches vintage impact better than any textbook. Ask Christoph about the grape's history: documented since the 1200s, genetic parent of Zweigelt, and called Lemberger in Germany and Kékfrankos in Hungary. The chef-sommelier combo means food and wine are designed together, not matched afterward.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Blaufränkisch unavailable, Zweigelt works (Austria's most-planted red, created 1922). Ask about Fritz Zweigelt's controversial legacy—Nazi party member who bred the grape. Wine survived because it's legitimately good, though Austrians struggle with this history.

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4. 📜 4

   Ask About the Rarest Bottle He Won't Pour

   Optional

   history Free

   Between courses, when Christoph or the sommelier is tableside, ask: 'What's the rarest bottle in your 8,000-bottle cellar that you'll never pour?' Every serious wine collector has ONE bottle—too rare, too expensive, too emotionally significant. Christoph might show you (won't serve, but will bring from cellar for viewing): could be a 1950s Wachau Riesling or a gift from a mentor. Time it for natural pauses (between courses, during wine refills, cheese course lull) and phrase it with genuine curiosity, not entitlement. If he shares the story, you've unlocked insider access most diners never get.

   🔄 BACKUP: If he's too busy or won't share, ask the sommelier: 'What wine does Christoph save for special occasions?' Different angle, same goal. Or inquire about AD VINUM's founding story—why open a toque-awarded restaurant in party-crazed Sölden? The answer reveals his mission: prove serious wine culture exists beyond the Katapult nightclub chaos.

   🍷 Log Memory