Weingut Bründlmayer – Interview With Andreas Wickhoff MW

Exploring the Sparkling Wine world will take you to every corner of the globe, there is so much to explore and taste, it would take several lifetimes to experience everything, but it is our mission here at Glass of Bubbly to highlight every country, region and bubbly producer, along with the incredible people making it all possible.

In this exclusive feature on Glass of Bubbly, we speak with Andreas Wickhoff MW, a Managing Director of Weingut Bründlmayer in Austria, let’s discover a little about his life, his journey into the industry and one of his most memorable bubbly memories.

It’s Great To Speak With You, Andreas, Can You Tell Us A Little About Yourself & When Your Incredible Journey Into The Wine Industry Began?

“The wine bug bit me at the age of 18 at which time I was going to the College of Tourism and Hotel Management here in Austria. My older brother was working for a well-known wine distributor and brought some really interesting wines from different countries home.

At the same time, I got intrigued by reading ‘Wine course’ from Jancis Robinson MW OBE. It also raised my interest about her wine qualification.

A further study program in Australia and my first permanent job in the F&B industry in the USA in 1999 led to my first full ‘wine industry job’: a Sommelier position at the then 1* Michelin restaurant at Grand Hotel de Cala Rossa in Corsica.

Back in the US, I was running the full wine program for a luxury hotel in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Heading home in late 2003, we established a group of premium wineries from Austria, getting closer to the production side of things.

Having led this group for almost 12 years, I am, since 2016, in the lucky position to (try and 🙂 manage one of Austria’s most renowned family wineries alongside Edwige and Willi Bründlmayer.”

Do You Remember Your First Experience With Sparkling Wine? When It Was And What Kind Of Label It Was?

“I guess you don’t want to know. It was some rather modest, high residual German Sekt, quite aromatic. This was at the age of 15 or 16 when we had a family celebration at a relative’s house. I admit that at the time I rather enjoyed this bubbly beverage.”

How Rewarding And Challenging Is Managing Weingut Bründlmayer?

“It’s daunting and really rewarding at the same time. Willi approached me in late 2014 if I wanted to join the team as managing director as he was slowly planning for his “semi-retirement” and wanted to step back a little from the day-to-day business.

I was naturally flattered by this when he asked me. Willi also gave me enough time to think this through as accepting the job meant also moving the entire family from Salzburg to the Kamptal. It was at a time where our family grew and my old job involved a lot of travelling.

In all, it has been a great fit thus far and being able to contribute something to the way we bring our terroir into bottle with the family and our great team is absolutely positive.

With close to 50 employees, there is always something every day that pops up but generally, the rewarding times definitely overpower the challenging ones ;-.)!”

When It Comes To Pairing Your Sparkling Wine With Food, Do You Have Any Favourite Combinations That You Would Personally Recommend?

“I love pairings with ‘Rohsekt’, i.e. non-dosaged Sekt, especially Blanc de Blancs, which has just been disgorged à la volée. Now, that is probably not so easily available for many consumers but still something to consider wherever possible.

Long-lees aged Blanc de Blancs from us with a mature cow cheese from our local cheese manufacturer Robert Paget is divine.

More generally and better accessible: our Blanc de Noirs 2016 together with a Veal Cutlet or Chicken Tikka Masala can be a perfect match!”

If You Could Choose A Person In The World, Past Or Present, To Have A Glass of Bubbly With; Who Would It Be And Why? What Would You Drink And Why? What Would You Discuss And Why?

“Maybe it would need to be Mahatma Gandhi. Having read books about him and seen some of his works, I was deeply inspired by his wisdom and approach to life. Gandhi’s thinking is deeply rooted in the Hindu tradition, but also shows strong European influences, probably more than he himself realised. Christian and liberal ideas in particular found their way into his thinking. Gandhi only adopted those elements that he considered meaningful. He saw nothing offensive in this, he did not claim to have produced anything originally new. The result was a syncretic system of thought that drew its originality precisely from the unconventional and undogmatic selection and interpretation of different traditions of thought from East and West.

Now, the question is if he preferred Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Nature or Brut?? He supported prohibition but let’s say that fine sparkling wine is a cultural beverage, I would enjoy first a glass of our Blanc de Blancs NV with him to start the discussion about global peace and how to achieve it and end up with Krug Grande Cuvée (it must be 132ème edition or somewhere around there 😉) and the question how truthfulness may have an impact on the way we all live.”

Can You Share With Us Some Of The Countries And Locations Around The World That You Can Enjoy A Glass Of Brundlmayer?

“A favourite spot is Japan. Be it Nagoya at Uchiyama, a fabulous Sushi place or at Sumiya spring resort close to Kyoto! Another great place is at Matsuhisa in Vail, CO. My good friend Andreas has been head sommelier there for years and he runs a wonderful wine program up there. On the East Coast, Café Sabarsky in NYC 😉! In London, chances are high that the Delaunay might poor one of our bubbles and currently also Noble Rot has it on the list. Three of the best spots in Austria: Steirereck in Vienna (currently Extra Brut Reserve Magnum by the glass – Landhaus Bacher in Mautern, an Austrian classic and Gourmet Restaurant Döllerer in Golling/Salzburg- great Alpine cuisine.

Restaurant Pompelier in Belgium, close to Brussels. In Macau, Joao Pires MS normally features one of our Sekts at Melco Resorts. Thankfully, many options as we export to around 45 countries.”

What Future Plans Can Enthusiasts Of Brundlmayer Look Forward To In The Coming Years?

“Our reserve wine program for Extra Brut, Brut and Brut Rosé is stronger than ever. We might release something special with this in the coming years. Potentially also starting a reserve perpétuelle program, another Brut Nature similar to the 2017 vintage???… In any case, there is no doubt that we will have something exciting in the next couple of years!”

Can You Share With Us One Of The Most Memorable Experiences You’ve Enjoyed With A Glass of Bubbly?

“This is not easy as there have fortunately been many of them. One from 2013: together with the late Chef de Cave Giles Descôtes and Etienne Bizot and my wife – pairing a ripe Comté cheese with Vielles Vignes Francaises 2000 and a reserve wine 2006 out of the magnum from Avize – DIVINE.

And just last month: spending several hours with Cédric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne) in his cellar and home and tasting La Haute Lemblé 2013, 2019, La Bolorée 2016 and many more great Champagnes from the Aube…”

Thank you Andreas, for sharing your story and experiences with us and we at Glass of Bubbly wish you the very best for the future!

Images belong to Weingut Bruendlmayer/Anna Stoecher. Glass of Bubbly was granted permission to use them.