Witness History Austria's wine scandal
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Feb 5, 2026 Heidi Schroek, an Austrian winemaker and former wine queen who later ran her family winery in Rust, recounts the 1985 antifreeze scandal. She describes discovery of diethylene glycol, why cheap sweet wines were doctored, the political fallout and local anger in Rust. She also covers the legal reforms, prosecutions and how the industry rebuilt its reputation.
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Watching The Scandal Break On TV
- Heidi Schroek recalls watching a TV warning about contaminated wine and initially thinking it was a joke.
- She was wine queen promoting Austrian wines when the scandal erupted and felt shocked and embarrassed for her region.
The Chemical That Explained Sweet Cheap Wines
- Government tests found diethylene glycol at up to five grams per liter, far above a 0.03 g/L health threshold.
- The chemical used as antifreeze explained why cheap wines tasted unusually sweet and soft.
Why Bulk Sweet Wine Promises Were Suspicious
- Heidi explains true Auslese and Ausbruch sweet wines are rare and variable by vintage, so bulk guarantees are impossible.
- She suspected some producers had promised large quantities of sweet wine they couldn't truthfully supply and thus doctored wine to meet contracts.