Light from the angled afternoon sun gleams off glassware in gondolas. Bouncing back is the image of surrounding mountains and the shiny grins of anticipating guests. These guests step aboard knowing that exercise is done for the day and indulgence can begin. A glass of wine among the backdrop of snowy Spring mountains is the pinnacle event of authentic Austrian après-ski. There really is no better way to close the ski season in Lech than wine tasting at Wine Gondola am Alberg.

For just one day in April each year, 25 of Lech’s gondolas are transformed into private vineyards for a truly elevated wine tasting experience. At 1,786 metres high, the Auenfeldjet gondola is nothing short of heaven for all skiing wine lovers. Everything the light touches is a part of your skiing kingdom as the Arlberg proudly takes its place as one of the five largest skiing areas in the world. It therefore seems natural that this massif should be relished with a drink in hand.

A love of wine combined with a thirst for skiing is exactly how Wine Gondolas am Arlberg was founded. The brain baby was born from Willi Hirsch and Johannes Pfefferkorn who are both established sommeliers at the Romantik Hotel Die Krone von Lech – where wine gondola guests are later invited for the event’s evening gala. The exquisite Hotel Krone has been run by the Pfefferkorn family for five generations, making the whole occasion an unsurprising success and undeniably coveted by those not involved.

Skiers and non-skiers alike are welcome to embark the wine gondolas as the choice of both piste and pedestrian access acts as a taster for the effortless experience that awaits. An invitation to showcase wine to lavish Lech, one the other hand, isn’t so accessible. Only a select few wineries such as Pichler-Krutzler, Mad Marienberg, Saloman-Undhof and Fabich have the honour of these private vineyards.

Resounding clinks can be heard as Austria’s finest sommeliers share their knowledge in these intimate yet spacious eight-seater gondolas that guarantee a medley of exhilaration and enlightenment, whether that’s with extended family or a close circle of friends. As well as four bottles of signature wines, champagne and whisky are offered with an air of extravagance.

Once the gondola ride is complete, the only place to be drinking up the last few hours of sunlight is at the Hotel Krone Ice Bar and Terrace. Situated on piste yet also in the centre of town means the Krone Bar is real-estate heaven and the place to go to for some authentic Austrian après-ski. More so, it means that those who prefer to enjoy après in Fendi fur boots, Prada sunglasses and Moncler beanies after a day at the shops and spa can join the full-day skiing fanatics with ease. Not before long, music pulsates through the ground around the bar whilst, above, glammed guests can be seen popping champagne corks at the more exclusive and panoramic setting of the terrace.

After the sun has set, guests are welcomed inside Hotel Krone restaurant for further wine tasting and to soak up some liquid with a six-course tasting menu. The culinary delights begin with a local Lech soup served with pancake strips, as well as semolina dumplings and liver dumplings. Moving onto the main sees the realisation of ‘Fledermaus’. And for those less familiar with the intricacies of traditional Austrian cuisine, Fledermaus is a juicy cut of inner pork leg. Alongside this, the chefs serve the equally tender and flavourful cheek of Voralberg sucking calf. The dish is then paired with a vegetable ragout and bacon side. Alternatively, the more delicate option of roasted veal tenderloin is offered as a main with sides of Mediterranean vegetables, truffle puree and herb risotto.

Finally, the chefs prove their skills of intricacy by presenting a selection of cake, chocolates and patisseries for dessert. Such menu makes it unsurprising that the restaurant has been awarded three toques on the Gault Millau system that critiques high-ranking restaurants in a synonymous manner to Michelin stars. What’s clear above all is that Hotel Krone chefs care about sourcing high-quality ingredients to ensure that their masterpieces have the same aesthetic effect on the tongue as they do on the eye.

Despite the chefs’ edible distractions, it’s not hard to notice the continued wine tasting. Sommeliers only pause pouring their passion to nip down to the cellar and retrieve another one of the 25,000 bottles that await approval. These bottles have been left to age in this grand stone vault that dates from the seventeenth century.

With a skinny stemmed glass still between guests’ fingertips, chatter about the day’s adventures persists. Guests continue to glug back a glass or slowly sip and swirl. Bouncing back, this time, is the memory of a private vineyard surrounded by sunlit sheet white mountains, and the unquestionable decision to return next year. Because really, there’s no better way to close the ski season in Lech than Wine Gondola am Alberg.