The international gourmet guide was created in 1969 by the two Frenchmen Henri Gault (1929-2000) and Christian Millau (1929-2017). Alongside the Guide Michelin, it is one of the most influential French restaurant guides. In contrast to the latter, the Gault-Millau is not limited to a listing with rating symbols, but offers a verbal description. The guide is feared for its sometimes cynically sarcastic formulations of extreme severity, which in the past have often brought it threats of litigation and court cases. The guide is published annually with country editions for France, Germany (separate guide for Baden-Württemberg), Austria, Switzerland and South Tyrol.
Licensing rights
The "Gault Millau Deutschland" was first published in 1983 by the Munich-based Christian Verlag GmbH. In 2020, it was taken over by the media group Hubert Burda Media and Dr. Christoph Wirtz was appointed editor-in-chief. Wirtz was the author of "Stern", "Welt am Sonntag", a tester for several restaurant guides and a columnist for "Der Feinschmecker". Gault Millau Switzerland" has been published in German and French since 1982. The publisher of "Gault Millau Austria" from 1978 to 2005 was Michael Reinartz (formerly also for Switzerland and Germany). In 2022, the licence rights for Germany and Italy were taken over by the newly founded publisher Henris Edition, under the direction of Hans Fink. With the annual tasting of up to ten thousand wines, the brand also occupies a top position in this field. In 2006, the licence was awarded to the Austrian daily newspaper "Kurier" for a reported sum of € 600,000. The new publisher and editor-in-chief is Karl Hohenlohe with his wife Martina Hohenlohe Rosen, who were initially supported by Reinartz.
Restaurant reviews
In the guide, restaurants of all kinds are rated on the quality of their cuisine. It is rated according to the French school grading system from 0 to 20 points. The highest mark of 20 is not to be awarded in Austria (in the sense of the founders Gault and Millau) "because only the good Lord, but no human being, can determine perfection". Instead, four (very rare) to one cap (in Austria, bonnets) are awarded. The service, ambience and wine culture of the restaurant are described purely verbally. In addition to a ranking of the best in each case, the following promotions are also awarded: Chef of the Year, Restaurant (Hotel etc.) of the Year, Winery of the Year and (for all categories) Newcomer and Rising Star of the Year.
Wine producer ratings
Since 1993, the annual "Gault-Millau Wine Guide" has also been published with the best producers of wines, sparkling wines and spirits. In a complex procedure, open tastings are first carried out on a farm-by-farm basis (farm and wine are known). The highest-rated wines of the wineries are then tasted again in groups to enable a cross-comparison. The highest-rated wines of the respective region are tasted again in different taste groups, often in the form of a blind tasting. The highlight of the annual tasting marathon is the nationwide final tasting, where the highest-rated wines from the regional competitions are put to the test again. A large group of regional representatives taste the wines together. The results of the open tasting are checked by additional blind tastings. The wines are rated in the "WeinGuide Deutschland" according to the 100-point system, in the "WeinGuide Österreich" according to the 20-point system. See also under wine rating, wine guide, wine critic, wine with food.
