Five-star Austrian hotel supports IMW

A Five-star hotel in the heart of Vienna, The Palais Coburg – complete with one of the world’s best wine cellars comprising over 60,000 bottles – has become a supporter of The Institute of Masters of Wine.

The hotel is owned by fund manager and wine collector Peter Pühringer and employs Frank Smulders MW to oversee the wine department.

The Palais Coburg’s support will include subsidising exam script translation costs for students whose first language is not English.

The incredible wine cellar is housed in the remains of a 16th century fortress that lies beneath the palace.

Six separate areas contain wines from France, the Old World, the New World, rare wines, Champagne, and a collection of over 100 vintages of Château d’Yquem.

In 2009 Peter Pühringer’s group of companies, the POK Pühringer AG, bought the Park Hotel Vitznau on the shores of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, which it promises to transform into a “fairy-tale castle of the future,” and will similarly house an extensive wine collection.

Patrick Schmitt, 07.04.2011