Talking wine with ...

Talking wine with ...

Andrea Heinzinger: Head of service at Vinum Weinguide, wine journalist and press officer.

In our interview series Talking Wine with ... we talk to prominent experts from the international wine and gastronomy scene as well as private wine lovers about their vinophile passion.

Andrea Heinzinger has been writing about wine since 1997. As co-founder of the wine portal wein-abc, she has been posting informative and educational wine content and tasting notes online ever since. Together with Hans-Wilhelm Eckert, she even launched one of the first German wine apps, Weingut-Finder. Since 2020, Andrea Heinzinger has been Head of Service for the Vinum Weinguide, among other things.

How does the Vinum Wine Guide differ from other wine guides? What are the actual tasks of a head of service? And what kind of wines does Andrea Heinzinger herself enjoy? And which favourites does she have in our assortment of for example German wines, French wines, Italian wines, Spanish wines? You can find all the answers here in this interview.

Wine passport

Favourite producer: It would be unfair to name just one winemaker. I love producers who make honest and authentic wines that touch my heart.

Favourite wine region: Mosel, Burgundy, Rhône (but in reality so many more...)

Favourite music to drink wine: Depending on my mood.

Favourites from the Best of Wines stocklist:

Helene Beaugrand - Le Grand Carre Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature NV

J.J. Prüm -- Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett 2020

Rene-Jean Dard et Francois Ribo - St. Joseph 2020

Chateau Suduiraut 2016

Veyder Malberg - Alter Native Gruner Veltliner 2016

 

Andrea Heinzinger

Andrea, what exactly does a Chief of Service do?

In a nutshell, as CvD I am responsible for ensuring that the wine guide arrives at the printers on time and in full. As project manager, I'm the interface between the publishing house management, chief editor, tasting team, graphics, editing and all the other trades that are needed to get such a large project off the ground. I also draw up the schedule and page plan, ensure that both are adhered to, adjust text lengths and take care of the image selection, among other things.

How did you come to this important position for the Vinum Wine Guide?

I've been active in the wine and publishing industry for a very long time, over 25 years now. And during this time I have gradually built up a great network. This has also paid off in this case: I have known the two Weinguide editors-in-chief, Matthias F. Mangold and Harald Scholl, for a long time from other projects. When the CvD position was vacant a few years ago, the two of them approached me.

The current Vinum Wine Guide 2024 presents the 1,000 best German wineries - including over 10,500 wines. Who decides which wineries and wines are listed there?

Very importantly, no winery can "buy" its way into the Vinum Wine Guide. Those who are invited to present their wines are decided by the editors-in-chief and the respective area managers. In other words, the tasters who are responsible for one of the growing regions. The wine selection is then made by the invited wineries themselves: They have the opportunity to register their wines online and then send them to the tasters. Of course, we always want a cross-section that is as meaningful as possible, from basic qualities to the top wines.

And how do you get to grips with all this flood of information?

You just have to keep calm ;-) Joking aside, fortunately we have a very good database in which we collect all the information on the winegrowers, their wines and also the wine ratings. As soon as a region is ready, we export the data and our graphic designer transfers it to the layout, then we gradually fine-tune it, i.e. shorten, correct and customise it. Our production process is now well synchronised and the team is very well coordinated. This allows us to remain calm even in the most hectic of times (which inevitably always occurs in the final weeks before the manuscript is submitted)...

 

How far in advance do you actually plan the Vinum Wine Guide?

After the guide is before the guide - the rough planning starts early in the spring, the first invitations to winemakers go out in April or May. Tasting then takes place in early summer, the first regions are usually finalised by the end of July / beginning of August, the print manuscript is ready in October - and the new guide goes on sale in bookshops in November.

How did it feel when you were able to hold the Vinum Wine Guide, for which you were responsible, in your hands for the first time?

A real goosebump moment! I've "done" quite a few books in the course of my career, but the Vinum Weinguide is and remains something very special for me.

What actually distinguishes the Vinum Wine Guide from other national and international wine guides?

As I said, you can't buy your way in. The publisher does not charge any participation or recruitment fees, only those who are personally invited can put their wines up for tasting.

How independent is the Vinum Weinguide?

The Vinum Wine Guide is completely independent, there are no sponsor interests that need to be safeguarded or other underlying obligations. The ratings are subject to the judgement of the tasting team, all of whom are experienced wine experts with many years of wine guide experience.

Have there ever been complaints from winegrowers because they were not satisfied with their assessment?

Of course, there are also occasional complaints, for example when a wine was scored differently by us than by the competition. But this can usually be resolved quickly in a personal discussion. And one thing must be clear to every winemaker and taster: In the end, the evaluation of a wine is always subjective to a large extent, even if it is tasted blind and consistently on the basis of predetermined criteria. A wine is also not the same every day; there are also fluctuations, especially if it has only recently been bottled, for example. As long as there is no AI tasting the wines, there will always be a certain amount of leeway - and that applies to all tastings. And one thing has to be said: you can't buy high scores from us.

How many wines do you actually taste yourself for the Vinum Wine Guide?

I don't taste that many for the wine guide, I take part in a few regional final tastings. However, I am a regular jury member at international wine awards, for example Best of Rosé or the German Sparkling Wine Award. That adds up to several hundred wines tasted over the year.

How do you differentiate between professional tasting and private wine enjoyment?

There is definitely a clear difference: when I drink wine privately, I enjoy the moment and don't analyse all the facets, as is the case with professional tasting. And of course I don't spit out the wines privately... ;-)

What are your favourite wines to drink in your private life?

I am a very curious wine connoisseur, I often look to have wines in my glass that are a little off the beaten track, I particularly like authentic, less "made" wines. I like mash-fermented white wines, taut, precise wines. Brut nature for (vintner) champagne and bottle-fermented German sparkling wines. One grape variety that has really excited me recently is Chenin Blanc. Wines matured in barriques, on the other hand, are rather rare for me...

Do you have a favourite wine-food pairing?

Off the top of my head, I can think of a very classic combination that I associate with many memories of early trips to France and that always makes my heart beat faster: Sauternes, fresh baguette, raw milk butter and Roquefort!

You've tasted pretty much everything in your job. Do you still have a wine on your bucket list?

Oh yes, there are still a few wines on the list ;-) For example, I would like to have more mature red Burgundies in my glass, and a real blind spot for me is the US wine world, where I'm currently "tasting my way in". The diversity of the wine world is and remains fascinating, you always discover something new!

What was the best food-wine pairing you've enjoyed so far?

I can think of a few, the pairing at Storstad in Regensburg is definitely worth mentioning, and the combinations at Broeding in Munich always inspire me.

And last but not least: Do you have a wine bar recommendation for us?

I really love Griabig here in Munich, it really is a second living room! Laurenz in Mainz is also great.

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