The 10th EUROPEA Wine Championship took place in Klosterneuburg, Austria, home of one of the world’s oldest wine-growing schools, from the 7th to the 10th of April 2015.
A total of 66 students, two from every participating school, accompanied by one of their teachers, coming from 13 European countries were matching with each other in theoretical and practical tests in the fields “laboratory”, “sensorics”, “viticulture” and “enology” on the premises of the Federal College and Institute for Viticulture and Pomology. Additionally, all the students coming from countries other than Austria competed in a test called “Special Award Austria”, dealing with typical grape cultivars and the finesses of Austrian wine culture. And there were plenty of occasions to get in touch with the latter, be it on the teachers’ excursion to one of the most prestigious sparkling wine manufacturers of the country, or at the talks of Dr. Ferdinand Regner, head of the institute’s grapevine breeding department, and DI Harald Scheiblhofer from the department of enology, at the Austrian Wine Fair, organised by the 4th forms of the Federal College Klosterneuburg or at a visit to the Cobenzl winery. After two days full of exams the students and teachers relaxed at the so-called “Funny Games”, where the bravest could show off at a crate-climbing competition, and a dance party in the grape reception hall of the winery. Finally, the visitors were taken on a tour through venerable Klosterneuburg Monastery, having celebrated its 900th anniversary last year, and on a short sight-seeing and shopping trip to Vienna city centre.
The event was crowned by the presentation ceremony and the gala dinner in the vaulted cellars of Klosterneuburg Monastery, where everybody celebrated not only the winners, but also an inspiring, competition and ties of friendship across Europe.
