Day Pass Monday December 7
All day events in the Lechwelten incl. lunch at a reduced tariff.
Tasting
Best Bottle Award 2026
Who Has the Best Riesling in the Cellar
Date 7 DEC 2026
Location Lechwelten
Time 13:30 – 15:00
Price incl. VAT
€ 170,00 incl. lunch from 12:30 p.m.
Weißwein
At the Best Bottle Award, what counts is not the largest wine list but the best bottle. Arlberg restaurants submit dry Rieslings; Willi Balanjuk moderates the blind tasting, the evaluation, and the award of the winning wine.
Tickets
Week Pass Lechwelten December 5-9
All events at Lechwelten incl. lunch from December 5-9 at a reduced tariff.
Single ticket
Who Has the Best Riesling in the Cellar
Details
The Best Bottle Award, organised by trinkreif, recognises each year the restaurant that has the most convincing wine on its list. In 2026 the focus is on dry Riesling. Restaurants from the Arlberg region submit their candidates, which, independent of price level, are tasted blind and evaluated on the 100-point system.
The jury consists of wine critics, sommeliers, and restaurateurs with Riesling experience; a limited number of seats is also available to private wine lovers. A la Carte wine editor Willi Balanjuk moderates the flights, places origin, style, and potential in context, and leads the award ceremony following the evaluation.
The winner receives a sculpture by Austrian artist Markus Hofer.
incl. lunch from 12:30 p.m. Cancellation Policy
Location
Speaker
Willibald Balanjuk
Willi Balanjuk is Wine Editor at A la Carte, a Weinakademiker, certified sommelier, and wine journalist. He is one of Austria’s established wine critics and has helped shape the A la Carte Wine Guide for many years, regularly tasting and assessing thousands of Austrian wines. He also teaches at the Austrian Wine Academy and shares his expertise through seminars, masterclasses, and guided tastings. His work combines analytical tasting experience, in-depth knowledge of Austria’s wine regions, and a particular focus on ageing potential, origin, and stylistic development.
Speaker
Clemens Riedl
Clemens Riedl is a wine merchant and the founder of trinkreif, a fine wine company specializing in mature wines. Originally established as a second career path, he now shapes both the company and Weinberg Arlberg, where, as chairman of the association dedicated to promoting culinary and wine culture at the Arlberg, he is responsible for the festival’s curatorial and conceptual direction.
