Erich Salomon, 64, a pioneering white-wine producer in Krems-Stein in the Kremstal region of Lower Austria, died on 30 November following a five-year struggle with cancer.

Salomon was a principal in Weingut Salomon Undhof, the family estate, which dates to 1792.

Salomon ran Undhof from 1971 until 2002, when his brother, Bertold, who had run the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, became managing director. Erich, continuing on as cellar master, concentrated on producing classical dry wines.

A man of thoughtful, gentlemanly bearing, Salomon focused on matching the proper Riesling, Grüner Veltliner and Gelber Traminer vines to the 25-hectare estate’s spectrum of agricultural conditions. The estate has holdings in the Kögl and Pfaffenberg vineyards.

With a partner, in 1986 Salomon bought a building of Und, the former monastery, and in it created Austria’s first vinotheque, called Weinkolleg Kloster Und. He sold Kloster Und in 2002 in order to focus on grape-growing.

Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York

Howard G Goldberg
Howard G Goldberg
Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Writer

Howard G Goldberg is a wine writer and critic based in New York City. He made his name writing about wine for The New York Times, where he worked for 34 years. He has written various books on food and wine, including Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Book and All About Wine Cellars. He compiled The New York Times Book of Wine – a collection of the publication’s best wine articles.