„"If you don't do it yourself, someone else will."“
The Brand Club Austria invited top winemakers to a discussion on August 18, 2020 Michael Edlmoser and wine author Gerhard Heczko. Moderated by Charlotte Hager (Managing Director of Brand Club), it was discussed during a wine tasting at the Schubert restaurant in Vienna's first district how the Viennese g'mischte Satz "went from a makeshift solution to a flagship product", according to Heczko.
While Gerhard Hezcko was responsible for the general education of the guests, Michael Edlmoser went into the specifics: How did the Viennese Gemischter Satz go from being a simple table wine to a brand that will continue to make its mark in the future?
From the old sentence to the new concept
The idea of the Viennese Gemischter Satz (field blend) has its historical origins in the so-called "old blend," where several grape varieties were planted in a single vineyard because it was uncertain which variety would be best suited to the climate and soil. This minimized the winegrowers' risk. Armed with this knowledge, accumulated over generations, a group of winegrowers, including Christ, Edlmoser, Wieninger, and Zahel, joined forces. While other wine regions were known for a specific grape variety (for example, Grüner Veltliner in Lower Austria), Vienna lacked such a distinctive signature. The winegrowers considered what truly defines Vienna as a wine region: the Viennese Gemischter Satz. Over the years, the quality has been meticulously improved, and only top vineyard sites are considered. It's about quality, not quantity. And that's what makes the Viennese Gemischter Satz a highly sought-after brand: from Nussberg to Manhattan. Internationally, the wine is now more in demand in top restaurants than domestically. The WienWein Group has invested for many years to build the image and thus the brand "Wiener Gemischter Satz". "Success is quality plus brand," says Michael Edlmoser. Brand building has a lot to do with discipline and a clear vision, and sometimes also with collaboration.
Branding à la carte
The question arose: how could a brand conquer the heterogeneous wine market? Since Vienna's wine-growing region is relatively small, making it difficult to market a uniform product in large quantities, it was clear that branding had to focus on individual, high quality. With Vienna as a world-renowned tourist destination that also offers a wealth of culinary delights, they already had a starting point. In 2006, the founding year of WienWein, they began holding events, promoting the wine worldwide, and telling a story of heritage, ingenuity, and craftsmanship. This generated positive media coverage and established a reputation, because, as Edlmoser is convinced, "if you have a story to tell, people listen.".
Naturally, this success story also attracted imitators who tried to capitalize on the momentum of Gemischter Satz and sell inferior products under this brand name. Through diligent lobbying, a DAC regulation was obtained, putting a stop to these attempts. With a genuine vision, perseverance, and collaboration, the foundation for a thriving and ambitious brand was laid.
Lively exchange
The stimulating evening was accompanied by discussions about the perseverance required to position a high-quality brand nationally and internationally, the importance of matching the right "wine target group," and the fact that a prophet is often not recognized in his own country. The "Wiener Gemischte Satz" has already passed this latter stage, "finding increasing sales not only in specialist shops but also, and especially, as a popular accompaniment wine in Viennese restaurants," according to Michael Edelmoser. Guests enjoyed a culinary journey not only through the accompanying wine tasting of various current fine wines from the "Wiener Gemischte Satz" range, but also through the excellent catering provided by Restaurant Schubert.
The wines discussed that evening:
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2019, Weingut Cobenzl
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2019 Maurerberg, Weingut Edlmoser
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2019 Ried Mitterberg, Weingut Fuhrgassl-Huber
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2018 Ried Preussen, Weingut Franz-Michael Mayer
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2017 Ried Steinberg 1 ÖTW, Weingut Cobenzl
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2017 Ried Himmel 1 ÖTW, Weingut Edlmoser
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2018 Ried Rosengartel 1 ÖTW, Weingut Wieninger
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2018 Ried Wiesthalen 1 ÖTW, Weingut Christ
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC 2017 Ried Langteufel 1 ÖTW, Weingut Rotes Haus