i. Biography
Winemaker of Club Batonnage in Andau, Austria, since 2000, Christian Tschida holds a title that carries real weight in Austrian natural wine. His standing comes from a body of work rooted in Burgenland: cult bottlings, farming-first conviction, and a collaborative signature release that links Andau with Barcelona.
The Honours
The accolade begins with the role itself: since 2000, Tschida has been the winemaker of Club Batonnage, the Andau project he co-founded that same year. In Austrian wine, he is known as a cult natural wine producer from Burgenland and as one of the champions of natural wine in Austria. Those honours are not abstract. They are tied to a specific geography, a specific community, and a specific way of working: Burgenland as home ground, Club Batonnage as membership and practice, and natural wine as the field in which his name is most clearly placed.
The Craft
Tschida’s craft is built on a belief in the romance between vineyards and farming, nature and humans. That philosophy gives the work its center: the vineyard is not background to the cellar, and farming is not a technical prelude to winemaking; both sit at the heart of the finished wine. His own description of the year is disarming and precise: “I only feel like a winemaker during harvest. Before harvest, I feel like a poor farmer; and around Christmas time, when I’m travelling and visiting friends, I feel like a hippie on a road-trip in a movie.” One named expression of that circle of friendship is Brutal!, a special friendship release made with the team behind Bar Brutal in Barcelona. It places his Burgenland work in conversation with another natural-wine address, without separating the bottle from the relationships that made it possible.
The Career
The career line is direct. In 2000, Tschida co-founded Club Batonnage in Andau and took the winemaking role there, a position he has held since. The same name also marks his membership in the group, keeping the project both professional and collective. Alongside that work, he is owner and winemaker at Christian Tschida in Illmitz, Burgenland, Austria. The Illmitz role gives his own name to the farming and cellar work, while the Andau project shows the collaborative side of the same natural-wine commitment. Across these roles, the defining facts remain consistent: Burgenland, natural wine, farming, friendship, and a winemaker who describes himself as fully a winemaker only at harvest. The authority of the work comes from that restraint. It is not a career padded with claims; it is a focused practice, held over time, in a place that has shaped how the wines are made and how they travel.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Christian
What is Christian Tschida known for?
Christian Tschida is known as a cult natural wine producer from Burgenland, Austria, and one of the champions of natural wine in Austria.
What is Christian Tschida's current role?
Since 2000, he has been winemaker of Club Batonnage in Andau, Austria, and he is also owner and winemaker at Christian Tschida in Illmitz, Burgenland.
Where is Christian Tschida based?
Illmitz, Burgenland, Austria.
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