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

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)

 

 

 

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 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."