Unfortunately, the wines of Liechtenstein are only readily available in the Principality itself. The Gasthof Löwen in Vaduz is the oldest inn in Liechtenstein dates back to 1380 and has its own vineyard. The Torkel Restaurant in the Prince's vineyards in Vaduz is named after the big wooden winepress from the 17th Century and offers excellent wine and FL-champagne from the Prince's cellars. In addition to tasting Liechtenstein wine in the local restaurants, you can try wines from the private vineyards of the Prince in the "Hofkellerei des regierenden Fürsten von Liechtenstein" (wine cellars of the Prince of Liechtenstein). The down side is that at the time of writing you had to be part of a group of at least ten to gain entry. But you can purchase the estate-grown and other wines while there. For more information and reservations, contact the Secretariat of the Hofkellerei, Feldstrasse 4, FL-9490 Vaduz, tel. 075/232 10 18, fax 075/233 11 45. Or you can attend the Winzerfest, a one day wine tasting festival usually held in Vaduz in October of each year.
In the 1960's, 56781 litres (15,000 gallons) of wine were produced annually. Recently with improvement in techniques, the harvest has yield from 80,000 to 100,000 litres (21,000 to 26,000 gallons). Liechtenstein's vineyards only totals around 54 acres but produce highly acclaimed wine most of which is red wine. The majority of vine grown is of the Blue Burgundy kind introduced by the Duke of Rohan during the Thirty Years War. A small percentage is of the Albueli kind grown by the Romans.
