Christian Tschida

Christian is a trained graphic designer and actually wanted to become an artist. Then he cashed out his retirement savings to buy a wine press. At a time when Burgenland’s wine industry was still deeply entrenched in conservatism and heavy, barrel-aged wines were the be-all and end-all, Christian Tschida was already working in the opposite direction: producing delicate, clean wines, free of additives, with alcohol levels that no one took seriously back then.

At first, the wine authorities categorically rejected his slightly cloudy wines. He defiantly carried on. Elsewhere, he was heard and understood. Today, the most renowned restaurants and bars from Berlin to New York, from London to Tokyo, serve his wines. What was once considered stubbornness is now a contemporary style. And his name is no longer an insider’s tip, but a point of reference for wine lovers worldwide.

The story sounds like a legend, but it really happened. A call from Noma: they needed more wine to serve with the meal. So Tschida loaded the last few bottles into the trunk and drove to Copenhagen himself. What happened next is well known in the wine world: the wines became part of a movement that is rapidly spreading across the globe.

A winemaker from Burgenland is becoming part of the pop culture conversation. Action Bronson drinks Tschida. Sommeliers from Paris to Seoul know his name and are scrambling for his bottles. Some call him CT. In Japan, they say Tschida-san. In Vienna, everyone who needs to know him does. The story has remained the same. Only its reach has changed.

Anyone who associates Tschida with Illmitz isn’t entirely wrong at first glance. However, Christian’s vineyards are located on the other side of Lake Neusiedl. In the Leitha Mountains, one of the last foothills of the Alps, Tschida has acquired plot after plot over the course of two decades. Nearly 300 meters above sea level, right below the forest: the coolness of the woods meets the warmth of the sun, which is further reflected in Lake Neusiedl. Double exposure, natural cooling. Geologically, an invisible line divides the vineyards: dark, heat-retaining slate above; almost white, powdery limestone below.

9,000 vines per hectare, planted so densely that they have to compete with one another. An approach originating in Burgundy and Champagne. No technology in the world can ever replace this depth in the wines.

You can taste it as a salty minerality, as a tension that runs through the entire wine, as a concentration that never feels opulent but rather dense. Weightlessness that nevertheless has substance. A testament to finesse, for anyone who wants to delve deeper.

Heaven on Earth, Non-Tradition, Felsen, AEIOU, or perhaps the new Syrah Rosé Balsamia? Christian Tschida’s wines follow no school of thought, no textbook, and no expectations. The Himmel auf Erden Grande Cuvée blends Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, and Furmint into something that shouldn’t exist: salty, cool, with notes of lemon balm and grapefruit peel—lightness and power in a single sip.

The Non-Tradition goes a step deeper: umami-like saltiness, white truffle, green pepper, and a sensual texture that carries you along and won’t let go. The Felsen I showcases Blaufränkisch in such a sleek and precise way that you can almost feel the limestone: silky tannins, a salty herbal coating, cherry, and incredible length. Pair it with Rosé, AEIOU, and the Balsamia in a magnum.

We are proud to be one of the few importers bringing Christian Tschida’s wines to Berlin. We’ve been waiting five years for this moment. It was worth the wait.