WINE AS OLD AS TIME
The sky is cloudless and azure, the sun smearing its expansive canvas with a buttery goldenness. Orchards and vineyards in shades of green—from moss to forest—fan out like lush carpets across the bucolic Alpine landscape. The air smells so sweet I can almost taste it.
I’m at the Hofkellerei des Fursten von Liechtenstein, a lush 10-acre cellar and vineyard in the heart of Vaduz, the capital city of Liechtenstein. The landlocked Alpine country—wedged between Switzerland and Austria—is just 160 square kilometres and hosts 35,000 residents, making it the world’s sixth tiniest nation.
Pretty much like the unique country, Hofkellerei is no ordinary vineyard. Its owner is the reigning prince of Liechtenstein, Prince Hans-Adam II, who lives in a Disney-esque Gothic castle perched atop a hill overlooking Vaduz. The winery and its restaurant have been in royal hands since the current prince’s
