The Austrian landowner Ludwig von Comini, Edler von Sonnenfels (1814-1869) studied at the Imperial and Royal Forestry School in Mariabrunn near Vienna. He then worked for several years in the state forestry service in Tyrol and came into possession of vineyards in Bolzano-South Tyrol through inheritance in 1849. It was here that he first discovered powdery mildew (Oidium) infestation in one of his vineyards in 1851. He immediately began attempts to combat this fungal disease. When powdery mildew was raging in almost all European wine-growing countries from around 1855, Comini travelled to Italy, France and Greece to find out from winegrowers there about suitable repellents.
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The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena