Wine needs discussion
Weinberg Arlberg sees itself not only as a place for great tastings and culinary experiences, but also as a platform for substantive engagement with the questions that are currently moving the wine world.
Wine never emerges in isolation. It is part of social developments, changes with climatic conditions, consumption habits, and cultural currents. Many of these changes today affect not only producers and gastronomy, but the fundamental role of wine in our society.
We believe that these subjects should be discussed openly: differentiatedly, factually, and without ideological shorthand. Not as a supporting programme, but as a self-evident part of a contemporary wine culture.
For this reason, Weinberg Arlberg deliberately includes lectures, discussions, and analytical formats in the programme. Not to deliver simple answers, but to make different perspectives visible and to create space for exchange. In 2026, two subjects that currently occupy the industry are addressed.
2026
With 'How unhealthy is wine, and who wants us to believe it?', we take up the increasingly emotional debate around alcohol, health, and social perception. Together with international journalists, producers, and specialists, we discuss how the public debate is changing, and how differentiatedly it is actually being conducted.
A second focus addresses the question of how wine can remain relevant for younger consumers. Between the natural-wine movement, shifting lifestyles, and new consumption habits, the question increasingly arises of how the industry communicates without pandering or losing its identity. To hear and discuss a range of positions, we have invited not only numerous winemakers but also a series of leading specialists to Lech:
Specialists
Eric Asimov →
Chief Wine Critic & Author
Ann Burgaz →
Importer & Swedish Wine Market Expert
Felicity Carter →
Industry Expert & Fine Wine Analyst
Dr. Laura Catena →
Physician, Vintner & Voice for Wine Research
Romana Echensperger, MW →
Master of Wine & Wine Writer
Neal Martin →
Wine Critic & Bordeaux Expert
Stephan Reinhardt →
Wine Critic & German-Speaking Wine Regions Expert
Prof Dr. Hans Reiner Schultz →
Viticulture Scientist & University President
Sascha Speicher →
Editor-in-Chief & France ExpertAmanda Wassmer Bulgin →
Sommelière & Hospitality ExpertIn the past, we have already taken up subjects such as water management, climate change, or the field of tension between terroir and natural wine. Not because we want to put forward finished positions, but because we are convinced that wine remains culturally relevant when it is prepared to engage with the questions of its time. Weinberg Arlberg is therefore not only a place of enjoyment, but also a place of conversation.