Foto Credit: Ingo Pertramer
ON BECOMING
I have never been particularly interested in exactly defining what I am or what I ought to become. Life, as I see it, is a continuous process of becoming, and perhaps fixing a role would contradict the very thing that interests me most.
What brings my various pursuits together, however, is a fascination with the ways in which we experience, create and share beauty and joy. Wine, tea and perfume happen to be some of my favorite avenues into this, not simply as things to understand, classify or evaluate, but as catalysts for perception, thought, poetry and human connection.
I find myself drawn to the space where knowledge meets experience, where the precision of thought gives way to ambiguity, and where a glass of wine can become the beginning of a conversation about aesthetics, art or simply the pleasure of being alive. Perhaps it is also about learning to pay attention, to become receptive to what the world has to offer, and to find ourselves a little less at its center. Through my seminars, writing, and occasional artistic collaborations such as Project Sanddune, I hope to inspire a little more curiosity, a different way of seeing, tasting and thinking.
Perhaps this is what I mean by education: not so much the transmission of knowledge as the invitation to think, to experience and to become. To leave a little room for what cannot be anticipated, measured or put into words.
Ultimately, I do these things for the love of the game.
“Ja wohl bin ich nur ein Wandrer, ein Waller auf der Erde!
Und Ihr … seid ihr denn mehr?"
Goethe, 1774
“I am just a Wanderer, a pilgrim on this earth.
And you ... are you anything else?”
Goethe, 1774
BEYOND THE LANGUAGE OF DESCRIPTORS
What happens when the language we use to describe wine begins to stand between us and the experience itself? A polemic on aesthetic judgement, subjectivity and the limits of technical precision — and an invitation to engage with wine, and perhaps life, a little differently.
A SENSORY BIOGRAPHY
Max’s first great love for wine was sparked by a purist experience in the Basque Pyrenees—at Asador Etxebarri* (ranked among "The World’s 50 Best Restaurants"), under the guidance of Maestro Agustí Peris, formerly a sommelier at the legendary el Bulli***. After studying political science, he decided to follow his passion and immerse himself more deeply in the world of cuisine and wine. He completed his sommelier training in London, earning a WSET Level 3 qualification.
He subsequently gained formative experience at the iconic London wine bar Sager + Wilde and at Bubbledogs—a leading destination for grower Champagnes—where he served as restaurant manager. His career path took him through the world of haute cuisine, with stints at London’s Kitchen Table**, El Coq* in Vicenza, L’Esguard in Mallorca, and the Atelier Wine Bar in Noosa on Australia’s Sunshine Coast.
Before taking up his current role as a specialist retailer and educator at Goldhahn & Sampson, Max worked as the sommelier for the Rote Wand Chef’s Table** in Zug/Lech, Austria. There, he devoted himself with meticulous precision to the nuances of fine wines, exquisite Chinese teas, and non-alcoholic pairings that creatively expanded the alpine flavor palette.
In addition, Max recurrently offers wine seminars with the particular aim to expand sense perception, as well as freelancing as a WSET educator. He regularly spends time at various European wineries to continually deepen his sensory understanding.
Max has also made a name for himself in and around Berlin with his "Sanddune" wine and thought exploration series. In carefully curated settings, he combines philosophical themes with rare, top-tier wines, excellent cuisine, and thematically aligned artistic accompaniment—ranging from piano and synthesizers to soprano vocals and light art—creating extraordinary experiences for a curious audience.
His fascination with the world of scents eventually led him to expand his vinophile horizons into the realm of perfumery. He creates bespoke Eau de Parfum — individual fragrance compositions for unique individuals. The methodology and sensory approach of perfumery shape and inspire his wine events & seminars in particular, lending them an additional olfactory dimension.
A LESSON IN ATTUNEMENT
Sometimes the most profound lessons are those nobody cares to explain. A story about a decanter, a mentor's silence, and an encounter that changed the way I think about learning, wine and our relationship with the world.
READ: Asador Etxebarri Revisited — On the Notion of Attunement
A Few Questions, More or Less
An imaginary conversation with myself, in an attempt to shed some light on the person behind the words and the occasional eccentricity. Naturally, it raises more questions than it answers.
Usually, I’m being introduced as Sommelier, exploring the heights and depths of the world of wines through the lens of culture, joy and sensuality, bringing delight to guests, friends and strangers alike. Though I’d like point out tha..
“Hold on” - Let’s cut through the chase and address the elephant in the room. “What’s my favorite wine, you wonder?“
A preposterous question - how dare you.
Let me put it this way: For the time being, it is all about finesse. Specifically, cooler climate wines, vigorously overflowing with nuances, delicacies, grace, light feet, somewhat shy, sometimes only whispering, a silent firework, quiescent deep sea, exuberant shivers of Southern light.
“But Herr Tschudi” you might ask, “Are you out of your mind?”
Well, my attitude toward wine, approximates an attitude toward life: a process of becoming. Neither isolated, nor objective or static. Once you define the wine, you somewhat neglect the wine.
You see, I hand you a glass of white and let you know about the facets of white peach and green fig leaves. You either smell and taste them or you won’t. Yes or No - Zero or One - potentially a forgone conclusion. By aiming for objectivity, the engagement with wine not only becomes binary and static but also isolated in character.
Now, I give you that same glass and passionately point to the wine’s temperamental yet graceful and light feet akin to Degas’ danseuses.
This way, one creates an open-ended dialogue, eine lebendige Gestalt, a space to interpret, to fully breath and liv..
“Wait a second, what do you mean by equating wine with dance?”
My dear avid reader - please - enough of your perky questions.
Let me ask you in turn: Would you believe in a God who doesn’t know how to dance?
Neither would I.
My kind of dance, always was and always will be, in its essence an untamed movement: a process of becoming.
Wine and its perceptions(!) are not only ever-changing due to micro-biological activity but also due to temperature, exposure to air, type of glassware, social context and the most obvious yet vastly underestimated: mood. So please don’t kill the vibe, by throwing around static words like ‘lychees, maple syrup, dried apricots or lemon drop’.
“I’m confused, Max. So what are you then, may I ask?”
An incidence, tumbling into an exhibition on Rothko at The Tate Modern, brought to bear my passion and embrace for the world of uncertainty and the emergent bliss out of playful exploration. Next to a somm & educator, I am an explorer, european, passioned lover of life, enthusiastic wild ocean swimmer, lucid dreamer, whole animal butcher-apprentice, embodied pasta-machine, japanese knives collector, coffee geek, relentless pursuer of aroma and fragrances, permeable stoic, and wandering experimentalist. I’m a sceptic yet an optimist. I’m all ears. Especially when it comes to Carl Jung and Gustav Mahler, fused together resemblant of Georges Laval’s Champagnes: velvety sparkling and brightly-pitched yet audaciously dark and seductive.
I’m a Heidelberg native of Swiss and Lithuanian descent, drawn to explore the world, especially wild coasts and stormy sea. Above all, my life’s telos is to teach when called upon, and fortunate when taught.
The many interactions with winemakers, colleagues, craftsmen, artists, academics, philosophers, worldly-attuned and intimate strangers continue to feed my fire. I dream that these encounters, I get the privilege to experience, never burn out.
And, I’m still more than that - I’m years of experiences. And I will be more things yet to (be)come.
Max
An Ode to Clarity
Precisely because it is the thrown-open and infinite internet, I wish to shine light hereby on my inner and outer world.
Hearts are not had as a gift but hearts are earned
By those who are not entirely beautiful.Yeats, 1921
Let me try to expose myself, and help transform wines’ being into becoming
Transplant hearts into professionals, and spirit into hedonists.
