Falstaff (Wine Journal)

Named after the literary figure John Falstaff in William Shakespeare's (1564-1616) Henry IV, the wine and gourmet magazine Falstaff was founded in 1980 by the two business journalists Hans Dibold and Helmut Romé (1939-2021). It is published nine times a year and reports on wine, food, culinary travel and lifestyle. It is largely owned by the Rosam family. With around 200,000 regular readers and 925,000 people in its extended readership, it is the Austrian wine magazine with the highest circulation and the oldest. An online portal was opened in 2010.

The main content is national and international wine topics, plus articles on the gastro-gourmet scene, wine tourism, cars and cigars. In addition to the magazine, Falstaff-Verlag publishes a Restaurant Guide, a Heurigen& Buschenschank Guide, a Bar & Spirits Guide and several Wine Guides every year. The "Wein Guide Österreich/Südtirol" describes more than 4,000 wines, which have been rated with up to five stars since 2007; however, the basis for this is the 100-point system. In addition to a German version, there are also English and Russian versions. In 2010, a subsidiary was founded in Germany with headquarters in Düsseldorf and, in addition to the gourmet magazine, which is published eight times a year, the Gasthaus Guide and the Wein Guide are published annually. The first Falstaff Switzerland issue was published in November 2014.