ÖTW – strong Austrian wine community gives clear message

Much has been achieved

Since ten dedicated winegrowers from the Kamptal and Kremstal regions founded the group in 1991, Österreichische Traditionsweingüter have been driven by a spirit of solidarity, mutual respect and shared values, with a clear commitment to provenance, history, social responsibility, craftsmanship and sustainability. This collaborative aspect is more important than ever – particularly when it comes to a relatively small wine producing nation like Austria holding its own on the international market.

The association now has 91 members across eight wine regions – in addition to Kamptal and Kremstal, these are Traisental (2001), Wagram (2001), Carnuntum (2018), Wien/Vienna (2018), Thermenregion (2022) and Weinviertel (2024). Its members cultivate around 3,600 hectares of vineyards in total, which corresponds to 8 percent of Austria’s total area under vine.

The multi-day Single Vineyard Summit was held for the first time in 2013 and has since offered an international audience of wine professionals an exclusive annual preview of the new vintage of Austria’s finest single vineyard wines, before they are released on the market. The Single Vineyard Summit not only marks one of the milestones in Moosbrugger’s time as chairman; today, the silent tasting format has become a fixture for the industry. This year, for the first time, all the wines available for tasting at the Summit are certified organic, biodynamic or Sustainable Austria.

Since its foundation, Österreichische Traditionsweingüter member wineries have been ambassadors for the finest Austrian wines of origin. Going forward, their focus will be even more firmly on “giving meaning to the classification, explaining it, protecting it and communicating it”, explains ÖTW Managing Director Michael Tischler-Zimmermann.

The modern, visual design of the new website, with its story telling approach, is just as much a part of this strategy as the further development of tasting formats and events. As a result, the successful Tour de Vin no longer takes place on a single date in spring, but has expanded to five events spread throughout the year, providing a greater opportunity for consumers to experience the ÖTW’s winemakers and their outstanding wines.