"Not economical"

The Fischwirt says goodbye to the wine route

Herti and Franz Grossauer were able to welcome entrepreneur Sigi Wolf as a guest.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

It has been a popular wine route meeting place for celebrities and gourmets for years: now the Fischwirt restaurant in Sulztal is closing its doors at the end of the year. At the "Urmeerforum" on Wednesday, there was a certain amount of melancholy.

Full house in Sulztal. When the Fischwirt calls, tables (and parking spaces) are quickly snapped up. This was also the case at the "Urmeerforum" on Wednesday, when kitchen maestro Christof Widakovich and chef Philipp Wendler, together with Istrian guest chef Mira Zrnic ("Konoba Stari Podrum"), spoiled an illustrious crowd of guests with culinary delights.

However, the fourth edition of the legendary network meeting on the Wine Route was also the last for the time being. "The investments that would be necessary to bring the Fischwirt up to date are not economical from our point of view," explains patron Franz Grossauer. "We have to focus on our core business. With the purchase of the Gösser-Haus in Graz and the renovation of all our family businesses, we have to set priorities."

Winegrowing elite as guests at the Fischwirt in Sulztal: Stefan Krispel, Philipp Hack-Gebell, Lena Grossauer, Hannes Sabathi, Gianfranco Kozlovic (from left).(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Hosts Franziska Grossauer and Christof Widakovich(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Siegfried Wolf among the illustrious guests
"The Fischwirt was a success story for five years, which makes it all the more difficult for us to let go. A big thank you to our loyal guests," say Widakovich and Fischwirt boss Franziska Grossauer, summing up their feelings. And so on Wednesday, guests such as Provincial Councillor Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, gourmet expert Waltraud Hutter and entrepreneurs Siegfried Wolf, Helmut Brolli and Alois Köhrer were also full of melancholy. But anyone who knows the Grossauers knows that the next project in southern Styria is already in the starting blocks.