1985: Antifreeze Wine Scandal

At the start of July 1985, the Austrian government announced that some wine makers had adulterated rather inferior wine with the the aid of an antifreeze (diethylene glycol) to make it appear like a special quality wine. This so-called “late harvest” wine was intended primarily for export by tank truck and fed mainly the German market. The wine adulterator benefited from the market-specific demand for sweet wine. Illegal blends with Austrian sweet wines also affected German distributors and producers. As a result, the export of Austrian wines collapsed, products had to be recalled worldwide, and a number of countries banned or warned against Austrian wines. With regard to the buyers, they should have been suspicious of the low price of these “quality wines”. The opposition, the  ÖVP (Austrian People's Party), demanded the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture and Health, Günter Haiden, and the federal government responded with a new Wine Law and stricter controls. A number of wine producers were convicted. The total collapse of wine export led to a lasting change in Austrian wine production, which, after a few years, was able to once again win over the tastes of wine drinkers – sweet was out – such that exports increased fivefold as compared to 1984/85.