Willi Wein
Illmitz – Posts have been delayed thanks to computer problems. Thank you, Microsoft, for the updates that appear to have put me out of action for a few days.
Illmitz Parish Church
Illmitz is a small town near Austria’s Hungarian border by the shores of the Neusiedlersee. We have been coming here for years because of an old friend who makes some of the world’s best late-harvest wines. Willi Opitz makes all sorts of excellent wines, but his dessert wines have established his international reputation. His “Opitz One” red dessert wine has been described as one of the thousand best wines ever made, and I won’t dispute that. Willi’s client list includes British Airways, Prince Charles, Elton John, and the McLaren Formula One racing team. Not currently imported into the United States, you may see Opitz wines soon. For the moment, they are best purchased directly or through Harrod’s in London. If any of my readers know how to work with ATF to import wines, you might want to get in touch with Willi. His website is www.willi-opitz.at.
Willi and his family run a delightful guesthouse, organizing occasional special wine weekends, and his daughter Angela and her partner Iain do fantastic ten-course gourmet dinners in which each course is paired with the appropriate Opitz wine. As Michelin would say, this is worth the journey!
My theme in the last few posts has been the impact of the recession on central European countries. Frankly, I don’t see much of an impact in Illmitz. Not all the wineries are doing well, but many of them haven’t done well for a long time – allowing innovative vintners such as Willi to come to the fore. Tourism must be down, so I assume that the families that rely on it are hurting somewhat. Still, Illmitz appears to be a most prosperous community. And worth a visit.
On to Vienna.
