Austria's best wine list is in Tyrol
Sonnenhof in the Tannheimer Tal
07/25/2024 Reading time: 6 Minutes
Four stars superior? Many have. Top wellness area? Virtually standard today. 51 freshly renovated rooms? Anyone can. 1150 items on the wine list? Only one can do that: Rainer Müller in his Sonnenhof in the Tannheimer Tal. Even the restaurant guide Gault&Millau recognized this - and awarded the Tyrolean hotel the "Best Wine List of the Year 2022" award. Connoisseur Circle editor Conny Derdak wanted to see for herself what's behind it all. And learned a lot about wine trends - and why it's a mistake to drink red wine at room temperature.
"In 1967, our USP was that we were the first in the valley to have hot running water in our rooms," laughs owner and wine expert Rainer Müller. "Today, we stand out thanks to our extensive wine list and our gourmet restaurant." 1150 wine items and 70 different types of champagne, dozens of which can also be tasted by the glass, speak for themselves. The fact that some of Austria's best wineries have created special bottlings especially for the Sonnenhof also speaks for itself: the "Private Editions" lumachelle by Tement, fulminant by Jurtschitsch, solenn by Sepp Moser and euphoria by Wachter Wiesler.
Quality is the top priority, not just when it comes to wine
The wine list has not only grown with Rainer Müller's interest in wine, but also with the hotel. A lot has changed in the hotel since he took it over from his parents: alpine flair meets lifestyle, hip decorations and stylish lamps now run through all areas of the hotel. "Everything has become a bit more straightforward and brighter. It's more urban. But we still make sure we stand out from city hotels by using lots of wood and high-quality materials," says Rainer Müller's wife Christina proudly. Investing in quality has always been important to the Müllers: "We're not getting bigger. We're getting nicer and better." The same applies to the extensive wine list, which has now reached its zenith with 1150 items for a very simple reason: space. After all, the countless bottles also need to be stored properly.
Once upon a time there was a wine fair ...
At the age of 20, hotel manager Rainer Müller accompanied a wine publisher to the Vinitaly wine fair in Verona - and immediately acquired a taste for wine. Since then, nothing has been the same when it comes to the wine list. "There have always been great wines in Saalbach and Lech, but otherwise the hosts here in the area often don't care about the wine list." Not so at the Sonnenhof. Müller, who is now 52 years old and self-taught, has taught himself his now enormous knowledge of wine. And with his knowledge, the wine list has also gradually grown. But it was to take a few decades before it reached its current 1150 items. "The wine list has literally exploded, especially in recent years," emphasizes Christina Müller. "When we got married in 2011, there were only 120 items on the menu." Since then, the selection has increased tenfold. The self-built, "cute little wine cellar" from back then was quickly bursting at the seams.
Mass-produced goods? Not a chance
Today, the wines of the day are stylishly presented in the vinotheque, where wine tastings are also regularly held with the chef himself. "The wines at the tastings as well as the wine accompaniment in the fine dining restaurant Alps&Ocean are very high quality and carefully selected. There are no run-of-the-mill wines here, no mainstream wines," explains the wine expert, who personally selects each of the high-quality wines. If a wine appears in a supermarket's range, it quickly disappears from the Sonnenhof menu.
Champagne flagship hotel Sonnenhof
"We go to the wineries personally. Or the winemakers come to us. We can also often be found at wine fairs. Next week, I'm flying to Champagne to the Bollinger champagne house." Unsurprisingly, the Sonnenhof is not only a Krug hotel, but also a Bollinger flagship hotel. How can you tell? An unusually large number of champagnes from the traditional house are offered by the glass, and the Cremant that every guest is offered as a welcome drink is also from Bollinger - disguised under the name Langlois-Chateau. "We love drinking champagne," Müller enthuses.
In addition to Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux are among his favorite wine regions; in Austria, Styria and Burgenland are very popular with him. And his wife, who was born in Bavaria, adds: "Rainer likes many regions and wines if they are well made. What's important is whether the winemaker has a philosophy, whether he is concerned with the product and thinks about it. Then it doesn't really matter which region the wine comes from." In any case, 55-60 percent of the wine list comes from Austria, with the rest coming from France, Germany and many other wine-producing countries.
Wine trends 2022
Top tip from the expert? Orange wines (white wines that are produced like red wines) and natural wines (without additives such as sulphites, often characterized by a cloudy appearance). Also currently on the rise: lean, structured red wines that are often fermented longer on the skins. "This is a trend that can be seen everywhere right now. In general, the trend is towards lower alcohol, more digestible and lighter wines." Organic is also very popular, even in the classic wine regions. "Even Chateau Palmer, one of the most famous wineries for Bordeaux red wines, switched to organic in 2018 - that says something," says Müller, impressed.
By the way: Have you been doing it wrong for years? The expert says: Don't drink red wine at room temperature! "In our house, all red wines are tempered, they come straight from the cellar to the table at 15 degrees. Serving red wine at room temperature is difficult because then you only have the alcohol in your nose. The custom comes from a time when people lived at a room temperature of 18 degrees, not 25," says Müller, clearing up the widespread misinterpretation.
