112. True Wine Crime - The Austrian Antifreeze Scandal

Host: Joanne Close Episode Length: 12:14 Release Date: May 21st 2026

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Episode Description

In the third installment of the True Wine Crime series, Joanne Close digs into one of the most notorious wine fraud scandals in history - the 1985 Austrian wine adulteration scandal, widely known as the antifreeze scandal. While the headline was sensational, the full story is more nuanced, and ultimately more interesting, than it first appears.

At the heart of the scandal was a chemical called diethylene glycol (DEG), used in antifreeze but not antifreeze itself, added to wines to mimic the rich body and sweetness of expensive Prädikat-style wines. With high consumer demand for these luxury styles and limited supply, a chemist-turned-consultant named Otto Nadraschi advised producers that a little DEG was a harmless fix. Millions of bottles later, routine lab testing in a German supermarket brought the whole thing crashing down.

The fallout was severe - Austrian wine exports collapsed by roughly 90% overnight - but the scandal set the stage for a complete industry overhaul. Austria now operates under some of the tightest wine regulations in Europe and has rebuilt a well-deserved reputation for premium wines.

What You'll Learn in This Episode The Chemistry Behind the Fraud

• What diethylene glycol (DEG) actually is and why it was chosen
• How DEG mimicked the body and sweetness of late-harvest wines
• Why simply adding sugar wasn't enough to replicate the desired mouthfeel

The Prädikat Wine Market in the 1980s

• What Prädikat wines are: Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese
• Why German consumers were driving demand for rich, sweet wine styles
• The economics of genuine Botrytis production and why it created a supply gap
• Burgenland's reputation for Welschriesling Beerenauslese

How the Fraud Spread

• The role of chemist and consultant Otto Nadraschi in normalizing the practice
• Why producers, merchants, and consultants all became implicated
• How bulk blending and cross-border bottling in Western Germany scaled the fraud
• The food industry culture of the 1970s and 80s that helped rationalize additive use

Detection and Consequences

• How routine quality control testing in a German supermarket uncovered the scandal in June 1985
• The health effects - and the one bottle with potentially lethal DEG levels
• Prison sentences, fines, and winery closures in both Austria and Germany
• The 90% collapse in Austrian wine exports and global reputational damage
• "Glycol" being named word of the year in Western Germany in 1985

Austria's Redemption

• How the scandal triggered a complete overhaul of Austrian wine law
• Why Austria now has some of the tightest wine regulations in Europe
• The country's current reputation for premium wines

A Broader Reflection

• Legal wine additives used globally today that affect body and mouthfeel
• A prompt to think critically about what is and isn't permitted in modern winemaking

Episode Highlights and Quotes

"The real punishment got dealt to the reputation of Austrian wines. Wine exports from Austria collapsed overnight - roughly ninety percent were ended."

"Small quantities were used. Some believed it was harmless, and the fraud ended up being rationalized as a technical correction - just giving people what they want."

"I would just take a little pause and think about what is allowed in modern-day wines still. Food for thought."

Key Wine Terms Referenced

• DEG (Diethylene Glycol) - A chemical compound used in antifreeze that was illegally added to wines for body and sweetness
• Prädikat wines - The highest quality tier in the German/Austrian classification system, including Auslese, Beerenauslese, and Trockenbeerenauslese
• Botrytis - Noble rot, a fungal condition that concentrates sugars in grapes to produce genuine late-harvest wines
• Welschriesling - A white grape variety grown in Burgenland, Austria, used to produce renowned Beerenauslese wines
• Burgenland - Austrian wine region known for reliably producing Botrytis-affected wines

Resources Mentioned

• Rüster Auslese - the wine in which DEG was first detected during routine lab testing in June 1985
• Welschriesling Beerenauslese - the style most associated with the fraud
• The Simpsons, Season One - a parody episode referencing the glycol scandal
• wineeducate.com - Wine Educate website for newsletter sign-up and course information

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About Wine Educate

Wine Educate is a WSET Approved Programme Provider offering internationally recognized wine certification courses. Through the podcast, Joanne Close makes wine education accessible to everyone, breaking down complex topics into practical, easy-to-understand lessons. Whether you are studying for your WSET certification or simply want to learn more about wine, you will find the guidance and knowledge you need to enjoy wine with confidence.

Episode 112 of the Wine Educate Podcast | Hosted by Joanne Close | © 2025 Wine Educate