Austria's highest parish wine culture

At 1,930m, Obergurgl is Austria's highest parish - guaranteed snow from November to May. The intimate village offers sophisticated après-ski without Sölden's crowds. Wine bars here serve Austrian bottles to a knowing international clientele.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Find the Memorial to the Man Who Nearly Died Here History · Free

   The Piccard Memorial commemorates the 1931 crash landing that put this 400-person mountain farming village on the map of science history forever.

   On May 27, 1931, Auguste Piccard and his assistant Paul Kipfer became the first humans to reach the stratosphere — 15,781 metres. Then everything went wrong: a seal broke, oxygen leaked, the exhaust valve jammed. They floated helplessly for 17 hours and crash-landed on the Gurgler Ferner glacier above you with exactly one hour of oxygen left. The Piccard Memorial in Obergurgl village center (bronze sphere next to the church) is modeled on their actual balloon gondola. Here's the detail that stops people cold: Auguste had a twin brother, Jean Felix — who became the direct inspiration for Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek.

   Backup: If you want to walk to the actual crash site, the Piccard Bridge hike (summer only, June–September) leads to the foot of Gurgler Ferner glacier.

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2. 2 Taste Austria With the Man Who Knows It Best Wine · Price: moderate

   Austria's Best Sommelier 2023 — Maximilian Steiner — pours from a 1,100-bottle cellar at 1,930m every Tuesday. He ends with AMAX: a wine he created with his sister Anna.

   Every Tuesday evening, Maximilian Steiner — Austria's Best Sommelier 2023 — leads an 8-wine tasting of Austria's finest at Austria Gourmet & Wine Hotel (Kressbrunnenweg 3, Obergurgl). The cellar holds over 1,100 selections. He pours four whites, four reds, and then opens AMAX: his own wine, created with his sister Anna. Think about what it means that the best sommelier in Austria works at 1,930 metres in a village of 400 people because his family has run this hotel for generations and they decided the cellar should be world-class.

   Backup: If Tuesday doesn't work, the hotel bar is open nightly — with 1,100+ bottles, even a single glass curated by Austria's top sommelier is worth the walk.

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3. 3 Walk a Torchlit Path to the Alps at 2,670 Metres Adventure · Price: high

   Every Thursday night, an 8-person gondola lifts you into the dark above Obergurgl. At the top: a copper kettle of hot punch over an open fire, a fondue table with mountain views, and a Tyrolean band.

   You are eating at 2,670 metres — higher than any vineyard on earth is ever planted. Take the 8-person gondola from Obergurgl village center (departs free at 18:30 on Thursday evenings), follow the torchlit path to Hohe Mut Alm, and someone is waiting at the hut door with a copper kettle of warm Jagatee: the EU-protected Tyrolean hunter's punch (black tea + Inländer rum + fruit schnapps + mountain herbs). Your table has a fondue pot with beef fillet, pork fillet, chicken, king prawns. Order Austrian red alongside the fondue — Blaufränkisch or Zweigelt — and see if wine at altitude, in cold mountain air, after a torchlit walk, hits completely differently.

   Backup: On any non-Thursday, the Hohe Mut Alm serves lunch with sun terrace overlooking 21 peaks — Kaiserschmarrn and apple strudel are the things to order.

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4. 4 Order Jagatee at the Bar That Sits at 2,104 Metres Adventure · Price: low · Optional

   The Nederhütte après-ski lives at higher altitude than most European ski resorts peak. Order the EU-protected Tyrolean hunter's drink while the live band plays below the glaciers.

   Jagatee at Nederhütte (2,104 metres) is not glühwein — they are completely different drinks. Jagatee is black tea plus Inländer rum plus Obstler (fruit schnapps) plus herbal extracts plus spices, and it has been an EU-protected designation of origin since 2008. The name comes from Tyrolean hunters — 'Jäger' meaning hunter — who spiked their tea with alcohol to survive bitter mountain days in the 19th century. The Nederlumpen band plays Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and by 4:30pm dancing has started on the south-facing sun terrace.

   Backup: If Nederhütte is fully packed, Jenewein's Après Ski back in the village offers the same Tyrolean atmosphere at village altitude with an extensive aperitif and wine list.

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Insider tips

• Snow-sure means guaranteed skiing until early May

• The village is tiny - walk between wine venues in minutes

• Crystal spa at Crystal Hotel offers wine spa treatments