„COOL WINES by the Glass"

Austrian wines are "cool" in several respects: On the one hand, the young and dynamic Austrian wine scene is as attractive as the diversity of its products, simply "cool". On the other hand Austria’s classic "cool climate" wines excel in their unique "cool" freshness: Nowhere on earth are great wines more refreshing, or refreshing wines more distinctively delicious.

These characteristics are highlighted in the AWMB’s new global campaign "Cool Wines by the Glass", which should promote by the glass sales of Austrian wines from Grüner Veltliner to the elegant red wines. Just in time for the ProWein at the beginning of March a brand-new brochure will be released in German and English to support distributing partners all over the world in positioning Austrian wines in by the glass sales. Editions in several other languages from Dutch to Chinese are to follow in the near future.

After the low-yield years 2009 and 2010 Austria has restocked its arsenals with the outstanding vintage of 2011 to accomplish further pivotal increases in export sales. In the previous year a record sales volume of € 126 million could be achieved; however, on the German market there was a sales decline, resulting mainly in market share losses in the lower price ranges. In exchange the average price of Austrian exports to Germany exceeded 2 € per litre for the first time. The overall average price of Austrian wine exports is already € 2.71 per litre.

Therefore, AWMB managing director Willi Klinger is optimistic about the future: "We are pleased with a crop of 2.8 million hectolitres, because the quality of both the white and red wines is excellent. Despite all pessimistic prophecies Austrian wine will be proudly back on the German market, too. Internationally, we expect significant increases with bottled wines, both in the popular and upper price segments. The absolute low price segment, we will have to cede to other countries."