Denk’Art
Hans Denk was the visionary, creator and mentor of the most successful hand-blown wine glass series today. The extensive knowledge of Father Denk, one of Austria’s most valued wine experts,
was channeled into the development of the Zalto Denk’Art glasses – following countless hours of tasting inspiration. With the Denk’Art brand, we pay tribute to the mentor of these extraordinary glasses.
Reverently called the nose of God – unmatched tasting memory was his hallmark. He was the driving force that created the perfect instruments for enjoying wine from prototypes in countless tastings.
It was in 2001 when he started a project with a small Waldviertel glassworks that had not yet made functional wine glasses with the aim of developing the ultimate wine glass.
When the first contact with Zalto came about, Hans Denk was able to improve those wine glasses that were currently leading on the market. First attempts with straight side walls, a broad basis for effective ventilation and aroma development and, last but not least, the approach of using the cosmic corners of the earth made the man of God believe that he could develop a visionary glass that would be superior to the previous ones in terms of functionality and sensor technology.
He also quickly realized that the approach of a single universal glass as well as that of a grape variety or region-specific wine glass would not lead him to his goal. In countless hours and over years, in exchange with winemakers and wine-loving companions, he developed a short series of functional wine glasses with which the entire spectrum of wines can be covered.
From Fine Magazin: The father of this glass was a wine lover: Johannes Denk, pastor in the Lower Austrian communities of Albrechtsberg and Els in the Waldviertel and connoisseur of Wachau viticulture.
He developed the glass together with the Waldviertel glass manufacturer Zalto. Denk contributed his understanding of wine and his many years of experience with good wines. So it was a to fortunate coincidence that a wine glass was not developed from the point of view of glass marking but rather from the point of view of wine.
After all, it is a wine lover’s wine glass for wine lovers, and it has become a winemaker’s glass. In a few years it has established itself among the top winemakers. The majority of the Austrian and international winemaking elite now present their wines in these glasses.
The cultural-historical and spatial proximity of the Waldviertel to the Wachau has created a special bond between Johannes Denk and the Wachau winemakers. Three decades ago, Denk got to know the idea of natural wine and ecological viticulture at the Weißenkirchen winemaker Franz Zottl. It was the beginning of a fruitful discussion that stimulated him to engage more deeply with the culture of wine. “It soon turned out that I don’t have such a bad palate”.
Denk says that he did not approach wine from the hedonistic point of view but from the ecological side. Responsibility and ethics are inseparable from wine, and that includes a glass that honors the wine in a dignified, organic way. The best winemakers in Austria like to exchange ideas with Johannes Denk, especially the young generation of winemakers who are open to the new glass by seeing their wines shown off to the best of their ability.
