Critics challenge wine knights over voting and finances

The European Order of Wine Knights faces criticism over its governance and financial transparency as it marks its 43rd foundation festival in Eisenstadt on Saturday, ORF reports. The order has about 4,500 members across Europe.

A group led by Paul Rittsteuer, a former agriculture state councillor from Neusiedl am See, has left the order or been expelled, the report said. It is calling for members to have a say in choosing the leadership, a right to be heard in disputes and voting rights for women.

Rittsteuer said those rights were not currently guaranteed. The order’s general consul, Alfred Tombor, rejected the criticism, saying its statutes comply with association law. He also disputed claims that ordinary members and women have no influence, noting that more than 500 women belong to the men’s order and can hold office and advance within it.

The critics also question the order’s handling of its finances, saying it has reserves of 700,000 euros and that an internal auditor was denied full access to information. Rittsteuer said the auditor was later dismissed after raising questions.

Tombor described the reserves as an emergency fund built through savings. He said the auditor had not immediately received a requested document because the treasurer was abroad, but that the matter had been cleared up.

The group is seeking talks with politicians from all parties and wants changes to association law to prevent what it considers undemocratic statutes. Tombor dismissed the effort as a “puppet show” and said the dispute stemmed from personal grievances.

The order says it promotes European integration through the continent’s wine culture. It was re-established in Eisenstadt in 1984 and traces its tradition back to the Middle Ages.