Wine cellar

Not knowing every single detail, could sometimes have its advantages. And as in our case it was for sure a serendipity. If Mr. Lucian’s brother in law would have known, that he would have to cover a 600 km distance with a car equipped with summer tyres – well what would his choice have been? According to Mr. Lucian, that fact would not have changed anything at all. Anyone who knows this passionate wine lover, will know that this is true. Although it was more of a mission to find the best wines of Burgenland, which is a wine region situated in Austria’s very south – east. The plan was to build up a vast collection of wines for our cellar.

Therefore, he went on his way to meet with Burgenland’s best winemakers. Reportedly it was a challenge to come to a decision of which treasures to take home to expand the collection. In the end the bus was heavily overloaded which meant the underbody was nearly touching the road. The truth is that such special wines must be kept and stored as your treasure ignoring the fact of bad road conditions and not suitable tyres. When his brother in law finally arrived with the bus filled up to the top after this long journey, he was overjoyed.

He ran towards the car, greeted him and was shocked about the summer tyres as the winter ones should have been already mounted. Unfortunately, this was not the case and luckily his brother in law was not aware of that as otherwise he probably would have not travelled the long way to take all these bottles of wine home.

‘Only nature is ever perfect’

Today, decades later, the house’s own Burg Vital Resort wine cellar is a home. For 3,000 different vintages, for international delights, for exquisite jewels and great indulgences. But also for a story of a development that is typical for the Lucian family – it’s about starting ‘small’. ‘Back then I had hardly any “professional” knowledge about wine. I hardly knew anything. What I did know, however: That the taste, the vines and their cultivation were just fascinating. And that wine connects people. A good glass of wine – that’s something you enjoy in a beautiful moment, on a special day, on a special occasion, during great talks. Wine is appreciation, it’s passion for nature, it’s art and enjoyment’. The sommelier clearly speaks from the bottom of his soul. And his knowledge about wine has increased over the years – to become almost perfect. Although Mr. Lucian does not appreciate the word ‘perfect’ very much. ‘Only nature is perfect, not us. Great winemakers know that. I had the pleasure of getting to know many of them over the years, friendships formed, relationships grew. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to learn everything from scratch – where the wine actually grows. From the people that take care of it and make it into a wonderful product. Using their hands and their hearts. Our suppliers are amazing winemakers, they are partners we know and value. And that (hopefully) goes both ways. And with some of them I will never forget that they received us with great wines, warm and instructive talks, and open arms when we were only just getting started’.

Trust & wine – a natural symbiosis? Definitely – according to Mr. Lucian. ‘The guests express their trust when they listen to what the sommelier has to say. We thus get to take part in their evening. That’s responsibility and trust’. A good wine – a life-changing decision? ‘No, I would not go that far’, the father of five laughs, ‘but it can have a decisive effect in special moments. And it touches people and their souls’.

Wine & guests: growing together

Speaking of special: So is Mr. Lucian’s willingness to sometimes go the extra mile for his guests when it comes to fulfilling their wine-wishes. ‘For the occasion of one lady’s birthday the guests wanted a very special Pinot Blanc vintage, a true rarity. But the wine wasn’t available anywhere. After phoning around for three months, contacting people, hoping and building rapport, we finally did it: Three bottles were on the way to us. After an incredible three months’. And of course, the passionate golfer knows it was worth the effort. His personal wine ‘green’ is the idyllic, rustic and cool wine cellar of Burg Vital Resort with its wonderful patina. And his glowing, sleeping red and white ‘giants’ from Spain, France, Italy, Austria and many other countries. ‘Yes, the cellar has grown quite a bit over the years’, the member of Club della Sommelier is visibly proud. ‘Just like the clientele, our guests who we bought the wines for. So, we have created this treasure together’.