Rewilding Europe – imitators wanted!

It was one of those lectures you never forget. It was about the complex and fascinating impacts of resettling wolves into the wild in the US. I don't remember who gave the talk in 2013 at my first Sustainabiliy training. And as much as I searched, I couldn't find any information on this project. And then Arte aired a film about it in 2019 and ...
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Sommelier spotlight: Linda Milagros Violago from Canlis in Seattle

I am excited to introduce a bi-weekly column where we'll speak to sommeliers all over the world. The new interview series will aim to paint a picture of Covid's impact on the wine industry with its continuing challenges. It will also ask how we (consumers or winemakers, or agents) can support sommeliers during these still difficult times, what ...
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The five principles of soil health

The Nuremberg wine merchant and trained chemist Martin Kössler has thankfully sent me the essay "The Five Principles of Soil Health" by the Australian soil ecologist Christine Jones. In his opinion, everyone involved in agricultural products should have read it. I can only agree with this, which is why I have summarised the paper here. The ...
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Pros and cons of harvesting grapes by maschine

More and more often you can read on wine labels: "Pure manual labor". This is because wine production has long been fully automated and mechanized in many places. Of course, this also applies to the harvest. That is why many small winegrowers – especially those working organically and biodynamically – feel obliged to communicate their handicraft ...
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On the CO2 emissions of water in plastic bottles

How much smaller the footprint of tap water is compared to water in plastic bottles was recently reported in the media. Reason enough to take a closer look at the topic. August 2021 Quicktranslation with DeepL ...
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Simply a recommendation: pure Yoga at Pureyoga in Vienna

I have been practising Ashtanga yoga in the studio of my friends Petra and Horst for around twelve years. The personal and individual care, breath teaching, living yoga philosophy and the beautiful garden with its ancient trees make it so special. Where yoga and wine cross paths comes at the end of the text. www.pureyoga.at August 2021 ...
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The flap of a butterfly's wing

To be honest, it wasn't the flap of a butterfly's wing at all. Rather, it was the wings of light moths crumbling to dust. But they did a lot. Juli 2021 Quicktranslation with DeepL ...
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Fisherman's Fritze fishes fresh fish ...* For how much longer?

The nutritional advice recommends fish twice a week. That's easier said than done in view of the fact that oceans are fished out and lakes and rivers are too warm for freshwater fish. So what should we do? Is it over with the herring feast? Over and done with sushi, too? Goodbye trout meunière? July 2021 (quicktranslation with DeepL) * ...
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Why eating according to the seasons also makes us happy

There are many reasons why seasonal fruit and vegetables from the region are the better choice. One weighty argument is the lower environmental impact. Another is that we are gifted with more aromatic fruit and thus better quality. And a third is that when our patience is finally rewarded, we are thanked with happy hormones. June 2021 Figures ...
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Biodynamic Winegrowing in One Sentence – an Attempt

The motivation for this article was the repeatedly expressed request of the sommellerie to have biodynamic viticulture explained in one sentence. A noble wish! Such complex content simply cannot be packed into a single sentence. Nevertheless, with the help of the "Introduction to Biodynamics" by Andrew & Kati Lorand, here is at least an attempt at ...
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On the misunderstanding of "organic versus sustainable viticulture"

It has become a somewhat tiresome topic. Regional and supra-regional wine sustainability certifications that stir the emotions. Organic winegrowers who rightly feel stepped on their toes and yet usually lack a view of the bigger picture. And as always, it's all down to communication. An attempt at rectification. April 2021 Quicktranslation ...
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Undervalued nettel

Every year in spring. Time for gardening, pruning the trees, trimming the hedges and preparing the garden beds. In short, to drive away the winter. There are a few things to keep in mind. Like simply ignoring an underestimated plant, the stinging nettle, in the garden and letting nature take its course. March 2021 Quicktranslation with DeepL ...
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Linkedin is not Facebook is not Instagram

The business platform Linkedin has so far been pleasantly different from other social media channels such as Facebook. Unfortunately, a change has been taking place for some time. Inspired by the German magazine brand eins , I would like to point out here what is – still – important on Linkedin. March 2021 Quick translation with DeepL ...
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Bird watching makes you joyful

This year we were part of the Gut Hardegg estate team for the first time for the Europe-wide song & field bird count. A meaningful, joyful project that is borne by success and continues to grow. Growth in the most positive sense – for the good of all of us. February 2021 Quick translation with DeepL ...
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Look back ahead

Here we want to look at the good things that the past year has brought. They may be only very small ones and perhaps also somewhat larger ones. And those that have a forward effect. After all, this year cannot have been completely in vain. January 2021 Quick translation with DeepL ...
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Plea for the half-bottle

Glass bottles contribute up to 49 per cent to the ecological footprint of a wine. Lighter bottles can do a lot of good in this respect, and even more do smaller containers. And from another point of view, half bottles are also the right decision for many other situations. January 2021 Quicktranslation with DeepL ...
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Back pain & Co

Remedies for the physical consequences of Corona A topic that is not directly related to enjoyment, but which concerns us all. That's why we're giving it space here: Slouching at the computer at home only looks comfortable at first glance. Because bad posture in the home office usually makes itself painfully felt. YVONNE LACKINGER from the ...
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What characterises a good website

In this peculiar standstill, time is found for things that until now had to sit on the sidelines for capacity reasons. The own website is one of them. Here are the most important requirements to make the investment in it a worthwhile one.  December 2021 Quicktranslation with DeepL ...
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The fundamentals of positioning

Positioning work with winegrowers is one of our favourite tasks. What could be better than to lift their treasure together with them: That which distinguishes them from all the others. That which they do particularly well. Since presence workshops are not possible at the moment, here is a minimal guide. November 2020 Translated with DeepL ...
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Employee retention in tourism through sustainability

Better employee recruitment and retention in Austrian tourism through targeted employer branding and sustainability concepts. This is the concise hypothesis of my recently completed master thesis. It was confirmed in an online survey among hotel operators. October 2020 Quick translation with DeepL ...
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Time of maturation & about freedom in viticulture

Romana Echensberger MW has written a book about biodynamics. Contents are twelve winegrower portraits and among other things a treatise about the different production methods in the vineyard. And this is what this book is about. Echensperger, Romana (2020): The freedom to make the right wine. A portrait of biodynamic winemaking. Frankfurt: ...
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The value of soil

In the materiality analysis within the framework of a sustainability strategy for wineries, the soil is the top priority. A fact that is given far too little consideration in current certifications. August 2020 Photo © Michaela Stark Translation with DeepL ...
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A Porto Protocol Climate Talk

As the Austrian representative of the Porto Protocol, I was invited to moderate a Climate Talk on three regional and national wine sustainablity standards. July 2020 ...
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(Organic) Wine consumption in the Corona crisis

Figures, data and facts on Austrian wine consumption in the Corona crisis July 2020 © Painting: Watanabe Shōtei aka Watanabe Seitei (Japanese 1851–1918) Mouse and Grapes, approx. 1910 Online translation with DeepL ...
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In drei Schritten zum perfekten Auftritt

Was ist eigentlich meine Marke, passt sie zu meinen Stärken und Grundwerten und ist sie gut positioniert? Sind mein persönlicher Auftritt und mein Markenauftritt stimmig? Lernen Sie an drei Halbtagen mehr über sich, Ihr Image und Unternehmen, und bringen Sie es in ein harmonisches Ganzes. Juli 2020 ...
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Eating Meat? Of course, but…

Is it even possible to eat meat in times of these incredible scandals? It is! A plea for conscious consumption. July 2020 Online translation of the original text with DeepL. ...
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A Perfect Day

Thrown back on oneself in more than sixty days of state of emergency, many of us ask ourselves: "What is a good day?" May 2020 Online translation of the original text with DeepL. ...
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Mastering online-meetings well

Even though video conferences & webinars have become a daily routine in the last few months, they still pose a challenge for many people. I have summarized for you here what you can do to make your virtual meeting - participating or moderating – a success. Technical requirements & preparation Your optical appearance Voice & Language ...
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Times of crisis – what you can do now

The Corona crisis presents us all with an immense challenge. As people and as entrepreneurs . On this page I would like to offer support on two levels: Help on a personal level by a certified psychologist and coach: Michaela Stark | blaufeuer Opportunities for good communication now & afterwards : Carpe diem with Sylvia Petz ...
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Well through the crisis – with graduate psychologist Michaela Stark

»I've never tried that before, so I'm pretty sure I can do it.« Pippi Langstrumpf Psychological Coaching Contact : +43 664 545 1340 & michaela.stark@blaufeuer.at April 2020 Online translation of the original text with DeepL ...
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Biodiversity – what each & every individual garden owner can contribute

Basically, it's quite simple. You would only have to let nature take its course and it would come back on its own. And of course, in reality it is not quite so simple after all. March 2020 Online translation of the original text with DeepL. ...
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Luxury & sustainability – a contradiction in terms?

Luxury & Sustainability - do they go together or is it a contradiction in terms? I was asked this question a while ago in Von-Magazin , an Austrian lifestyle magazine for the upper class. The editors wanted to look behind the luxury goods. Since the contents are still up to date, they can be read again here. February 2020 Online ...
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Yes to Braunau! – a project of planetYES

Since a little more than a year I am a partner of planetYES. Our goal is to create networked sustainable cities and regions within a team and with a large network of research, companies, organizations and academia. With a focus on regional value creation and global knowledge transfer for rapid change and significant effectiveness. November ...
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PURE LUXURY – WINE FROM SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION

The title "Pure Luxury" resulted from a discussion about what luxury really means in our time. We agreed that true luxury always has to do with pauses, with quality craftsmanship and in truth nothing with high prices. This is the origin of this text on wine pricing. Enjoy reading it! October 2019 Online translation of the original text with ...
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The value chain of a bottle of supermarket wine

I wonder what might be in a bottle of wine for 2.99 euros from the supermarket? Considering that the bottle, label, capsule, cork and cardboard have to be bought and various margins are incurred. In the weekly newspaper Die Zeit one has now done some research .  September 2019 Online translation of the original text with DeepL. ...
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