AUSTRIA

From Butcher to Winemaker

Hans Schwarz is a former butcher from Andau, Austria, who was persuaded to trade in his cleaver for a corkscrew and pursue a career in winemaking. The Schwarz family has cultivated grapes in the region surrounding the village of Andau in Burgenland for generations. Beyond a small hobby production for their own consumption, the grapes were traditionally sold to the local cooperative.

In 1994, Hans Schwarz met Alois Kracher, Austria's most celebrated winemaker. After tasting Schwarz's homemade wine, Kracher was so impressed that he convinced him to produce wine under his own label. Kracher offered his assistance and even contacted Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non in the United States to consult on and design the labels.

Long before the concept of nose-to-tail butchery became trendy, the Schwarz family's slaughterhouse embraced this philosophy. Naturally, the same philosophy extends to The Butcher wines.