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VieVinum 2024 - Kick-off Dedicated to the New Generation


From 25 May to 27 May 2024, the glittering HOFBURG Vienna will once again serve as the beautiful setting for Austria's renowned international wine trade fair, VieVinum. The countdown to the big event has already begun with the selection of young winemakers who qualified for the accompanying cross-mentoring programme as part of the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy.

It is the central networking platform for the Austrian wine sector: Every two years, VieVinum attracts winemakers, wine experts and wine lovers from all around the world to Vienna. A key component of this event is the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy with its cross-mentoring programme for young winemakers. Established by Alexandra Graski-Hoffman in memory of her father, VieVinum-founder Gerd A. Hoffmann, and with awareness of the world’s increasingly competitive wine market, the academy and it’s programme  - under the  patronage of Johannes Schmuckenschlager, president of the Austrian Winegrowers Association - bring together young winegrowers who are mentored for several months by renowned Austrian business professionals and society personalities. The exchanging of experiences will cover a range of topics and questions about everyday business life, internationalisation, the circular economy and digitalisation.

Sustainability, Positioning ...

This year, 13 promising young talents were selected and matched, based on their interests, with the appropriate mentors. As the kick-off event, the first big get-together of all mentees and mentors was held on Tuesday, 30 January, at the Members Club Am Hof 8 in downtown Vienna.  Accompanied by a fine selection of wines, mutual expectations and goals were formulated and the first concrete measures were reported. "We immediately hit it off,” said winemaker Alexander Paul about his mentor meeting. “My mentor, Elisabeth Zehetner (Managing Director of oecolution austria) can give me ideal advice on the topic of sustainability and offer me many opportunities to present my wines." Winemaker Susanne Riepl recounted how the first meeting with her mentor, Thomas Neusiedler (CEO, Helvetia Insurance Austria), seemed to pass so quickly, and how they had discussed positioning in detail. Also in attendance were some alumni from the previous year, such as winemaker Katharina Baumgartner. "You get to know so many new people through this programme,” she reflected. “And the great thing is that contact with the mentors continues beyond VieVinum. It's great what the VieVinum team offers here!"

Into the Future with Power and Confidence

The atmosphere at this first get-together was marked by enthusiasm and excitement about the new sense of optimism. VieVinum organiser Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann is delighted with the successful start: "We are celebrating our 30th anniversary as a trade fair and event organiser this year. And my wish is for this programme to strengthen our community even further, open new perspectives for all of the participants, and that we’ll head into the next VieVinum years with power and confidence." Chris Yorke, Managing Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, VieVinum’s most important cooperation partner, also sees great benefits for the young winemakers. "We are a wine country that produces very high-quality and environmentally conscious wines, and we combine exciting contrasts such as modernity and tradition,” he said. “That's why I'm a strong advocate of this cross-mentoring programme. Because these young people are the future."

That was VieVinum 2022 – a triumphant return, qualitative growth

VieVinum, dedicated this spring to new beginnings: After a four-year hiatus, Austria’s wine industry clicked into gear and showed off a brilliant dynamic from 21–23 May 2022 in Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, effectively placing its focus on trade visitors, a sophisticated ‘School of Wine’ and new digital services. In addition, the event shone a particular spotlight on the coming generation of Austrian winegrowers and their visions for the future.

For three days, the halls and chambers of Vienna’s Hofburg Palace came alive with the sounds of great wines being poured and the omnipresent joy of colleagues greeting each other once again and tasting together. The targeted approach of VieVinum organiser M.A.C. Hoffmann, to focus this year on trade participants and thus offer exhibitors and visitors more space and more time for individual discussions, turned out to be right on the mark. The courage shown in this – to reduce the scope & concentrate on greater detail – proved to be a key factor in the trade fair’s success.

Professionalism & ease

‘It’s so good to see the wine family reunited,’ said VieVinum organiser Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann in her welcome address. Austria’s Secretary of State for Tourism Susanne Kraus-Winkler delivered the opening remarks, in which she emphasised the importance of establishing personal contacts when such an emotionally loaded topic as wine is involved, along with highlighting the economic significance of VieVinum to the tourism sector. Winegrowers’ Association President Johannes Schmuckenschlager referred in his welcoming speech to the prolonged anticipation surrounding the return of VieVinum among all those involved in the Austrian wine industry, and underscored the trade fair’s great and lasting importance. Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) CEO Chris Yorke reported with great satisfaction that a record number of international trade visitors had travelled to VieVinum at their invitation. And Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann praised Austrian winegrowers in no uncertain terms, saying: ‘The special artistry of Austrian growers in presenting their great wines, this successful mixture of professionalism and fluid expression, is an important factor in the charm of VieVinum – and this also characterises our philosophy as organiser.’

Concentrating positive forces

Since 1998, Austria’s international wine festival has documented the careers and progress of Austrian winegrowers every two years. Right from the start, the trade fair organiser M.A.C. Hoffmann and the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) have shared equally in providing expertise and innovative spirit. This year more than one thousand international retailers, sommeliers, restaurateurs and journalists came to VieVinum at the invitation of the AWMB. Thanks to excellent vintages like 2019, 2020 & 2021, the stage could not have been set any better.

A badge of honour for Willi Klinger

And aside from happenings at the trade fair itself, Willi Klinger was given a special honour as the longtime CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and current managing director of Austrian retail chain Wein & Co. Secretary of State Susanne Kraus-Winkler awarded the Republic of Austria’s Golden Medal of Honour to Willi Klinger at a festive ceremony in the company of many colleagues.

The Alps & Mount Etna: opposites attract

Some five hundred winegrowers from near and far presented their finest wines for tasting. In addition to the customary focus on Austria, the fair also featured exhibitors from numerous European wine regions, along with many from overseas. Winegrower groups from Südtirol and Sicily enjoyed special status as guests of honour this year: two winegrowing regions under the Italian flag that, after years of slumber, have recently become two of the most fashionable regions on the international stage, and clearly worked their vinous magic on visitors to VieVinum.

Wine school, and an international match ends undecided ...

Attending ‘school’ and tasting some of the most exciting wines at VieVinum – visitors made good use of this opportunity. The ‘lesson plan’ explored topics such as origins, grape variety and styles of wine, along with overarching factors such as biodynamics and vineyard classification, moderated by highly regarded personalities on the international wine scene. The two guest winegrowing regions South Tirol and Sicily also enriched the proceedings with guided tastings, in which they examined their respective indigenous grape varieties. The result of the traditional wine-country competition organised by the magazine Vinum was awaited with great excitement, in which the 2019-vintage ‘Riesling-eleven’ from the ranks of Germany’s VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter) went up against a team fielded by the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (ÖTW). The contest resulted in a draw for the first time, although lack of complete agreement as to the victor is also traditional.

New digital services

In order to enable participants to quickly find the wine they sought, or to connect with the right trading partner, VieVinum’s organisers made two new digital services available. Pursuant to the slogan ‘never again forget a good wine’, visitors could set up a personal digital tasting booklet from the online list of exhibitors. Meanwhile, the B2match-app helped to make establishing business contacts easier and more efficient.

The future of wine

In autumn of 2021, VieVinum organiser Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann launched the Gerd A. Hoffmann Akademie in memory of her father, the founder of VieVinum. A programme of cross-mentoring was offered in which, for the first time, twenty-four promising young winegrowers had the opportunity to exchange ideas with well-known personalities from the business world and society, covering fields such as digitisation, recycling management, tourism and the further development of the individual wine estate. Their closing presentation, in which they presented their summarisations, had taken place beforehand; at VieVinum they offered a master class on the subject ‘The Future of Wine’.

VieVinum special offer: Stölzle glasses & wine refrigerators

After the trade fair is before the sale! Stölzle glasses from the ‘Experience’ series are now available at a special price of €15 per box (6 pieces). The glasses can be ordered at office@mac-hoffmann.com. In addition, high-quality wine refrigerators and climate-control cabinets are available in various sizes – and at attractive prices. Information at +43 2262 625 46 or info@oewi.at.

Notable quotes from exhibitors & visitors:

Sigi Hiss, magazines Vinum and Fine
‘The level of achievement for everyone involved in the organisation was simply tops. One just thinks differently here than at other trade fairs. And what the AWMB accomplishes, with their great attention to detail, is not to be taken for granted.’

Wolfgang Rosam, publisher, Falstaff
‘It really is the loveliest wine fair in the world; I’ve been saying that for years. We had a great performance once more from the international winegrowers. Everybody is happy.’

Ralf Kaiser, journalist, Germany
‘After a four-year layoff, it was a great opportunity to get an overview of Austrian wine, especially the 2019 & 2021 vintages, which were very successful.’

Marcus Johst, journalist, Germany
‘I am particularly impressed with the guided tastings and have attended many of them. This focused tasting format offers a great opportunity for sensory education.’

Helga Schroeder, Master Sommelière, Germany
‘As always, everything was clearly and concisely structured; I also thought the master classes were great, as were the events of the supporting programme in the evenings.’

Johann Artner, Sommelier, Restaurant Tantris, Germany
‘I’m totally thrilled; VieVinum simply sets its own standards.’

Josef M. Schuster, Kastner AllesWein
‘For me, the best VieVinum ever. Just the right number of visitors. One can tell from the attention paid to detail, how much thought went into the organisation.’

Paul Truszkowski, Suff wine merchant, Berlin
‘VieVinum offers the loveliest atmosphere imaginable, and the Austrian winegrowers are simply marvellous. This is also a good place for networking.’

Dietmar Baumgartner, Blue Moon Eisenberg
‘It was well attended but not overcrowded; the winegrowers had time for discussions and we were able to taste quite effectively.’

Franziska Kerner, Restaurant Unkai in the Grand Hotel Vienna
‘Winegrowers and wines were just great. It was a lot of fun, and the free day was well spent.’

Marie Christin Baunach, sommelière, Restaurant Überfahrt, Germany
‘For me, this is simply the best wine fair. One could taste in a relaxed fashion, and also had time for discussions. I will gladly come again.’

Lukas Hittinger, Hittinger’s Genuss
‘Here you have all sorts of winegrowers together in one place. I found the Demeter theme very engaging.’

Herbert Schmid, noted sommelier, Austria
‘One doesn’t get such a great all-round view of the wine scene every day. All styles are represented here, with a huge range of vintages.’

Thomas Neusiedler, Helvetia Austria
‘VieVinum is back! Everyone was happy that it was being held again. The quality of the wines offered is consistently outstanding.’

Sophie Countess Goëss-Enzenberg, winegrower, South Tirol
‘Interest in the wines of Südtirol was very great. Many thanks for organising this!’

Christian Bauer, representative for Sicilia DOC
‘The feedback was very positive and the winegrowers want to come back to the next VieVinum.’

Luzia Schrampf, journalist, Austria
‘I went on the “Mission Blaufränkisch”. Organisation was fantastic and I also heard from international colleagues how much they enjoyed VieVinum.’

Peter Weirather, journalist, Austria
‘Everything was optimally organised; clear to see that people enjoy meeting face-to-face once more.’

Florian Scheuba, cabaret artist & wine lover
‘A festival of reunions. It’s fantastic that VieVinum is held at the Hofburg Palace; that makes it even more special.’

Elisabeth Pichler-Krutzler, winegrower, Unterloiben
‘We had a great audience, many international and domestic retailers; on Monday a good number of restaurateurs as well.’

Kurt Feiler-Artinger, winegrower, Rust
‘It was a very positive experience for me. A great group of visitors, and quite attentive.’

Gregor Stiegelmar, winegrower, Gols
‘Everything was great; we had only serious, enthusiastic and highly professional tasters.’

Stefan Zehetbauer, winegrower, Schützen am Gebirge
‘The AWMB did a really great job by inviting the international crew. From day one onward, the atmosphere was absolutely terrific. Kudos to M.A.C. Hoffmann for the organisation and their standard of service. The Hofburg Palace is simply the ideal venue for VieVinum.’

Gerhard Wohlmuth, winegrower, Kitzeck
‘VieVinum was very successful for us. Many familiar trade visitors but many new ones as well, and all this in the wonderful setting of the Vienna Hofburg.’

Josef Scharl, winegrower, Sankt Anna am Aigen
‘That was the best VieVinum for me so far. Beautifully organised. I had tastings with many restaurateurs, and with international visitors; just a super cool crowd.’

Fritz Wieninger, winegrower, Vienna
‘The quality of the contacts was better than ever before.’

Michael Liegenfeld, winegrower, Donnerskirchen
‘It was a great success for us, better than we had hoped. We are already looking forward to the next VieVinum.’

And the next VieVinum will take place on 25–27 May 2024!

Contact
Tina Patronovits | M.A.C. Hoffmann & Co GmbH
+43 1 587 12 93 - 11 | t.patronovits@mac-hoffmann.com
www.mac-hoffmann.com

Press contact
Dagmar Gross | grosswerk public relations & art promotion
Liniengasse 20/6 | 1060 Wien | +43 1 236 26 64
werk@grosswerk.com | www.grosswerk.com

VieVinum 2022 - Who would you like to meet?

This coming Saturday, 21 May 2022, Austria's wine trade fair, VieVinum, will kick off at the HOFBURG Vienna. And trade visitors in particular will benefit from the newly installed B2match app, which enables them to find suitable trade partners with pinpoint accuracy.

Tasting a wine at a trade fair stand – and you already know whether

parameters such as production method, price or available quantity meet your expectations? Or even whether a certain target market is right for distribution? The B2match app makes it easy and efficient to initiate business at VieVinum. Thanks to numerous filter options, it takes just a few clicks to find out whether a winery's offer matches the needs of interested parties. Time-consuming research or advance communication is a thing of the past.

Find the trade partner you‘re looking for - with just a few clicks

In the run-up to the fair, exhibitors and trade visitors are asked to register on B2match and create a profile. The next step is for the exhibitors to specify which wines they offer, while trade visitors indicate what they are looking for in the "I’m searching for" field. The more complete the profile, the more precisely matches can be generated and the higher is the visibility. Now it‘s time to actively approach others with an appointment request. A description of why you are interested in a meeting increases the likelihood that the request will be accepted. The accepted meeting requests are automatically scheduled in the agenda. This is available via the app, and can be transferred to a personal calendar or be printed out.

For those who did not not have the opportunity for an in-depth discussion at VieVinum, B2match can still be used until 21 June 2022 for further appointment requests with potential trade partners.


To the b2match-App

VieVinum 2022 - Never forget a good wine again!

When the HOFBURG Vienna turns into the marketplace of good wine once again - from 21 to 23 May - of utmost importance will be to quickly find the wine you‘re seeking or to meet the right trade partners. Now VieVinum offers two new digital services for these pursuits!

Good preparation is a key success factor for visiting a trade fair. It’s important to efficiently plan a personal tasting programme according to needs and preferences and to allow time for spontaneous discoveries as well. Guided by the principle "never forget a good wine again", VieVinum organiser M.A.C. Hoffmann, in cooperation with the company unserwein.at, is providing the exhibitor directory as a digital tasting booklet. Simply create a user account, mark your favourites in advance, and print out the individual tasting booklet in the handy A5 format. At VieVinum itself, additional exhibitors can be added via QR code. Likewise, you can remain entirely digital and export the tasting notes later as Excel or PDF.
Available at: www.vievinum.at/aussteller

School of Wine – In-depth commented tastings

Head to the classroom and taste some of the most exciting wines at VieVinum: In the School of Wine, groups of winemakers will be taking part in masterclasses that feature topics such as origin, grape variety and style, or even extended themes like biodynamics and site classification. It’s best to secure your tasting slots as soon as possible: www.vievinum.at/school-of-wine

VieVinum 2022
Saturday, 21 May to Monday, 23 May 2022
HOFBURG Vienna, Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna
www.vievinum.com

Contact
Tina Patronovits | M.A.C. Hoffmann & Co GmbH
+43 1 587 12 93 - 11 | t.patronovits@mac-hoffmann.com
www.mac-hoffmann.com

Press Contact
Dagmar Gross | grosswerk public relations & art promotion
Liniengasse 20/6 | 1060 Vienna | +43 1 236 26 64

 

VieVinum 2022 - The School of Wine Programme is Online!

From 21 to 23 May 2022, VieVinum will once again bring together the best wineries from Austria and many parts of the world at the HOFBURG Vienna. A major highlight is the new School of Wine, where you can taste and learn about the wine scene’s latest and greatest; where an in-depth look at Austria as a wine country will be conducted through a series of masterclasses that feature international groups of winemakers and wines. Timely registration for preferred participation dates is highly recommended.

Winemaker groups and wine specialist magazines literally outdo each other with the exciting topics on the School of Wine timetable. And in keeping with the "learn from the best" motto, they’ve engaged many internationally prominent names in the wine industry for moderat-ing the masterclasses. Among them are Pepi Schuller, MW; Suwi Zlatic (National Sommelier Champion); Sascha Speicher (Meininger Verlag publishing house); Rudolf Knoll (Vinum maga-zine); Prof. Dr. Walter Kutscher (sommelier trainer); Peter Moser (Falstaff magazine); Willi Bal-anjuk (A la Carte magazine); Caro Maurer, MW; Heidi Mäkinen, MW, and Stefan Neumann, MS.

Saturday, 21 May - From Grounded to Explosive

In some places, Grüner Veltliner sees red. The winemakers of the Wagram region are pushing this - and have made it the subject of their masterclass (9:30 am). Red is also the colour that winemakers from the Neusiedlersee DAC and Rubin Carnuntum wine regions jointly dedicate themselves to; they’ll be demonstrating the versatility and strength of the Zweigelt variety (10 am). Of historical significance for the Austrian wine sector is the Weinviertel DAC designation of origin - its 20th anniversary is being marked by a major tasting highlight (11 am). With the self-explanatory ex-pression "wines of kings and kings of wines", thewinemakers of Neusiedlersee DAC and Freis-tadt Rust will raise the flags for their excellent sweet wines (11:30 am). The winemakers of the Thermenregion will compete for wine history greatness with valuable and historic grape varieties (12 pm). And the young winemakers of the new VieVinum Mentoring Projects will address the question of the future of wine with confidence - and an impressive selec-tion of wines (2 pm). The two guest wine regions of Sicily (1 pm) and South Tyrol (3 pm) will provide a variety of wines from international climes. And the wine trade magazine, Vinum, will be conducting its traditional country competition, pitting Rieslings of the 2019 vintage from the ranks of Germany’s VDP (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) against those of Austria’s ÖTW (Traditional Wine Estates of Austria) (4 pm).

Monday, 23 May - Real Crackers

On this day, the early bird catches the good wine - beginning with a tasting held by the two fac-tions, Demeter Austria and respekt-BIODYN (9 am). Real crackers will permeate the HOFBURG Vienna, thanks to the Austrian Sparkling Wine Committee and the inspiring styles of Sekt Austria (9 am) as well as through the VDP.Prädikatsweingüter, who will be reflecting the vibrance and sparkle of the VDP.SEKT.STATUT (10:45 am). Immerse yourself in the world of Sauvignon Blanc from the region of Styria at the Wein Steiermark masterclass (10:30 am). This will focus on the diversity of Styrian Sauvignon Blanc and its differences in origin within the Styr-ian classification pyramid. Their roles as pioneers and visionaries over the past 30 years will be the subject of a press conference conducted by the Österreichischen Traditionsweingüter (Traditional Wine Estates of Austria) (1:30 pm), while the Verband Blaufränkisch Mittelburgenland (Blau-fränkisch Mittelburgenland Association) invites you to let your curiosity take flight and experience the origin and single vineyard character of the Blaufränkisch variety (2:15 pm). And finally, under the direction of managing director Willi Klinger, Wein & Co will be popping the corks again with "Champagne Beyond the Mainstream" (3 pm).

And now, it’s time to quickly select your favourite masterclasses and register at:  www.vievinum.at/school-of-wine

VieVinum 2022
Saturday, 21 May to Monday, 23 May 2022
HOFBURG Vienna, Heldenplatz,
1010 Vienna
www.vievinum.at

Contact
Tina Patronovits | M.A.C. Hoffmann & Co GmbH
+43 1 587 12 93 - 11 | t.patronovits@machoffmann.
com www.mac-hoffmann.com

Press Contact
Dagmar Gross | grosswerk public relations & art promotion
Liniengasse 20/6 | 1060 Vienna | +43 1 236 26 64
werk@grosswerk.com | www.grosswerk.com

 

VieVinum 2022 - Tickets, Tickets, Tickets!

Let’s go! When Austria’s most important wine trade fair, VieVinum, returns to HOFBURG Vienna from 21 to 23 May 2022, it’s best to have your ticket already in hand. Companies now have the opportunity to book individual VIP tours, which are led by top sommeliers and make ideal networking events.

Preparations for Austria's most important wine trade fair, VieVinum, are in the home stretch. Wine producers and wine merchants from Austria and many parts of the world have confirmed that they will be exhibiting at VieVinum once again. In addition, two internationally relevant guest wine regions, South Tyrol and Sicily, will be featured, and the School of Wine will offer a highly diversified schedule of masterclasses.

Ticket and Entry
If you want to enter VieVinum quickly, instead of queuing at the box office, buy your onlineticket in advance at:vievinum.at/tickets

For self-planning your journey to VieVinum and your stay in Vienna,
the Mondial travel agency would be happy to assist you. Info: +43 1 58804-137, austria@mondial.at oder www.mondial-reisen.com/de/promotions/Vievinum2022

Also getting to the Hofburg requires a certain amount of planning.
As a general rule, it is recommended to travel by public transportation. For another option, the Museumsquartiergarage offers parking facilities for visitors. Information on parking spaces and location maps can be found at:  www.parken.at.

VIP Tours: Wine Networking for Companies
VieVinum has an ideal programme for businesses that want to offer a special customer event or an employee incentive. With a VIP tour, which is guided by top sommeliers, groups of up to 15 people will gain an overview of a specific wine theme in approximately 90 minutes. The themes include, for example, "Best of Grüner Veltliner" (which explores Austria's showcase white grape variety); "Best of Blaufränkisch" (local red wines of international calibre), and “Riddled and Rotated” (a sparkling wine tour for hedonists) - all of which can be completely adapted to individual interest, of course! This vinophile networking experience can be booked also with the inclusion of an aperitif and/or a finale with finger food.
Enquiries are gladly accepted by Ms Julia Hafner: j.hafner@mac-hoffmann.com.

Press Accreditation
Accreditation for representatives of the trade media is already possible at: dagmar@grosswerk.com. Written accreditation is required (a letter from the editor-in-chief or the inclusion of the representative’s name in the medium imprint for a wine article published no longer than six months ago). Accreditation of accompanying persons is not possible. Press tickets will be issued directly at the press counter in front of the entrance to VieVinum.

Details - VieVinum 2022
Venue: HOFBURG Vienna, Heldenplatz entrance
Date: Saturday, 21 May to Monday, 23 May 2022

Opening Times:
Saturday to Monday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Trade visitors & press: Saturday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Admission:
Online ticket: € 75 - www.vievinum.at/tickets
Trade visitors upon accreditation: € 55 -
www.vievinum.at

Contact
Tina Patronovits | M.A.C. Hoffmann & Co GmbH
+43 1 587 12 93 - 11 | t.patronovits@mac-hoffmann.com
www.mac-hoffmann.com

Press Contact
Dagmar Gross | grosswerk public relations & art promotion
Liniengasse 20/6 | 1060 Vienna | +43 1 236 26 64
werk@grosswerk.com | www.grosswerk.com

VieVinum - Mentoring as an Investment for the Future

What motivates the young winemakers in Austria? What challenges are they facing today and in the future? How is the profile of their profession changing? VieVinum founder Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann addresses these topics and many other issues with her newly launched Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy, which connects young winemaking talents with prominent experts of the domestic economy for mutual exchange.

A major generational change is taking place in the Austrian winegrowing scene today. The winemaking newcomers now at the helm are setting the future course for Austrian wine and, thus, for a significant part of this country’s agriculture, trade and tourism sectors. In 1998, Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann and her father, Gerd A. Hoffmann, founded the VieVinum wine trade fair, the highly respected international showcase for Austrian wine held every two years at the HOFBURG palace in Vienna. And over these past 24 years, the trade fair organiser has worked intensively with Austria’s winegrowing community, making her highly attunded to the continuously evolving challenges and needs of the winemakers. The many changes that she has observed can be reflected, for example, in the generational shifts now taking place in the wineries. In the past, the primary concerns of a parent-run winery tended to focus around development opportunities, or modernisation and expansion; today's young winegrowing talents are highly focused on topics such as digitalisation, internationalisation, tourism networking, climate change and the recycling economy.

Motivation for the Mentoring Programme

After the passing of Gerd A. Hoffmann last year, many now-prominent winemakers had expressed how much they appreciated his support and how it extended far beyond the trade fair context. From this came the idea of setting up the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy in memory of his work - the professionalised continuation of standard-practice business ethics intended as an investment in the future of Austria's young generation of winemakers.

New Impulses and Contacts

Now the starting signal has been given: 24 young winemakers who applied to the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy have been connected with their mentors. It is the first step toward addressing today’s important topics, receiving new impulses and making valuable contacts. And, of course, it is important that goals are set right from the start – the results of which will be presented at the beginning of May, just before VieVinum 2022 takes place. The M.A.C. Hoffmann team will be accompanying the tandems during their collaboration and will report on their special moments and milestones.

MENTORING TEAMS

Winemakers & Mentors

Michael Bauer & Josef Floh, Gastwirtschaft Der Floh (restaurant)
Katharina Baumgartner & Eva Pölzl, ORF Moderator
Georg Dujmovits & Bert Copar, Management consultant
Anna Faber & Birgit Reitbauer, Steirereck (restaurant)
Bernhard Fischer  & Lilli & Joachim Gradwohl, Das kleine Wirtshaus (restaurant)
Gerald Freinbichler & Michael Krammer, Entrepreneur, Ventocom
Simon Gattinger & Mag. Thomas Neusiedler, CEO Helvetia Österreich
Johann Gisperg & Markus Ertler, Investor and CBA, Certified Business Angel
Alois Gollenz & Silvia Berghofer, Seliger bespoke furnishing
Gabriel Grassl & Dr. Harald Hauke, Board of Directors AGR & ARAPlus
Andreas Gritsch & Jacqueline Pfeiffer, Star Chef
Alexander Herzinger & Mag. Sigi Menz, Vice Chairman of the Board of Ottakringer Getränke AG and Stakeholder representative
Johannes Hofbauer-Schmidt & Dr. Bernulf Bruckner, Wine expert, Banking advisor Friedrich
Friedrich Hutter & Dr. Petra Stolba, Tourism manager
Franz Paul Jagschitz & Leo Doppler, Hansen Börse (restaurant)
Julia Kroiss & Annemarie Foidl, Angereralm (restaurant) and President of Sommelier Union Austria
Helmut Lang &  Stefanie Herkner, Zur Herknerin (restaurant)
Michael Liegenfeld & Michaela Reitterer, Boutiquehotel Stadthalle, Sustainability expert
Benita Lobner & Manuela Krings-Fischer, Kringsalm (restaurant)      
Gregor Nimmervoll & Veronika Doppler, Vestibül (restaurant) 
Lisa Paschinger & Mag. Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann, VieVinum organiser & Johannes Graski, Sports manager
Viktoria Preiß & Dr. Gabriela Straka, Member of Management Board and Spokesperson, Brau Union Österreich
Matthias Reckendorfer &  Dr. Erwin Pröll, Former Governor of Lower Austria
Thomas Schuster & Paul Ivic & André Drechsel, Tian Wien (restaurant)

 

 

 

VieVinum 2022 - Right on Track!

Life is returning to the wine trade fair business with VieVinum as one of the fixed high-lights - from 21 to 23 May 2022. As a "Special Edition", it also marks the beginning of this event format’s new future. The proximity to ProWein, which has been postponed until May, also offers advantages, for example when international visitors can now combine both fairs.

VieVinum, which has been organised by M.A.C. Hoffmann for 24 years, is known by many as the most beautiful wine fair in the world, especially as its venue is the imposing Hofburg palace in the very center of Vienna. As a boutique trade show, VieVinum enjoys the advantage of having a manageable size and the corresponding flexibility to respond to changing requirements. For 2022, this means above all more space, more security and more time for discussions at the stands. Also in focus are the expansion of digital services, more attention on trade visitors, and the so-phisticated, thematically attractive "School of Wine" as a professionally in-depth support programme. The teams of M.A.C. Hoffmann and the Austrian Wine Marketing Board – the most important VieVinum partner – are working together to make the joy of wine all the more tangible under new conditions.

"We constantly hear how important VieVinum is to our exhibitors and visitors and we’ve worked on new concepts intensively,“ says Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann, managing direc-tor of M.A.C. Hoffmann. “Along with everyone’s health as our top priority is our mission to offer even more opportunities for finding the right trade partners."

Visitors from Around the World

For many years, the main focus of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board has been on the initiation and consolidation of international business relationships for domestic winemak-ers. At the invitation of AWMB, traders, sommeliers and wine journalists from all over the world are expected to attend VieVinum. "Our international partners are very much looking forward to coming to VieVinum and cultivating contact with our winemakers!", emphasis-es Chris Yorke, the AWMB managing director. "We are in close contact with them and are already in the middle of planning their truly unique experience at VieVinum."

VieVinum Wine Trade Fair Launches Mentoring Project for Young Winemakers

VieVinum launches the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy - a cross-mentoring project for young winemakers. Under the motto VieVinum inspires - passion for wine, promising new talent will be supported for a few months by well-known personalities serving as mentors.

Recognising talent and helping them with advice and support was one of the special qualities of VieVinum founder Gerd A. Hoffmann. "Those who knew him know that he always supported aspiring winemakers in a caring way and he loved to encourage them," says Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann, who has been continuing her father's life work successfully for many years now. In memory of his work, the Gerd A. Hoffmann Academy has been established to bring young winemakers together with well-known personalities from business and society in a cross-mentoring programme. For the newcomers, there will be opportunities in the exchange of experiences; for everyone, it will be about sharing the passion for wine, inspiring each other, learning from each other and establishing new networks.

Objectives and Procedures of the VieVinum Cross-mentoring Programme

Applications are open to those winemakers between the ages of 18 and 35 who will be founding or taking over a winery, or have already done either of these. Together with an advisory board headed by Johannes Schmuckenschlager, president of Austria’s Winegrowers Association, the young candidates will be selected and matched with mentors such as Birgit Reitbauer (Restaurant Steirereck), Veronika Doppler (Restaurant Vestibühel) and Michael Krammer (CEO, Ventocom). The exchanging of experiences will include questions and issues regarding everyday business life, succession of the operation, international development, crisis management, and one of today’s most important topics - the effects of climate change on one's business and the economy and society. The interests and exchanges between the mentee and mentor bring significant value to the programme.

In terms of media support, the main steps for this project are the matching of the mentees and mentors along with their getting to know each other, a first summary review in the coming Spring, and the final presentation of experiences shared in the run-up to VieVinum 2022.

The central steps of this project in the area of media support are the matching and getting to know of mentee and mentor, a first summary in the coming spring and the final presentation of the experiences made in the run-up to VieVinum 2022.

VieVinum organiser Alexandra Graski-Hoffmann is enthusiastic about establishing a focal meeting point for this programme. "I hope that, with this step, our community will be strengthened, the visions of all of the participants will be apparent, and we will go into VieVinum in the years ahead with new strength and confidence."

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