There are people who have a passion for their job—and then there’s Daniel. He has found his true calling. When he talks about his work as a farmer, his eyes light up, his voice quickens, and he’s almost unstoppable.
Daniel Rottensteiner is not just an apple grower, but also an apple ambassador and apple sommelier. Together with his wife Gloria, he offers guided apple tours with tastings at the listed farmhouse Steidacherhof on the Ritten/Renon plateau. They walk participants through the apple orchards, sharing stories about cultivation, the hard work involved and how much goes on behind the scenes. Some guests travel from far away: visitors have even come from Dubai and Texas.
“We don’t just recite information, we speak from the heart,” says Gloria. Every tour is filled with amazing emotions and stories. After the tour, there’s a proper tasting. As an apple sommelier, Daniel knows exactly what matters: first, smell—the skin at first, then the flesh. In the end, you taste and assess the texture and aromas. How juicy is the apple? How sweet? How crisp?
Daniel is an innovative farmer, far removed from the clichés some still associate with farmers. He’s ambitious and brave: “I don’t care what others say. If you stand still, you’re not going back one step—you’re going back ten metres.” His motto is “Olm weiter”—keep moving forward. That’s why his working days are long and free Saturdays rare. Only Sundays belong entirely to his family and his daughters.