The distinguishing mark of Austrian quality wines is the red-white-red banderole on the capsule. Such a label on a national level is unique in this conciseness. So it is not without reason that the banderole is part of the logo of ÖWM, which as an umbrella brand is the common umbrella over the sum of the individual wineries, brand communities and regions.
The strategy of ÖWM aims at a balanced marketing mix adapted to the respective markets. This in turn means image work under the aspect of sales promotion and active public relations with supporting media advertising. A major focus of ÖWM is the promotion of origins and wine-growing regions, especially in close cooperation with regional wine committees.
The Austrian viticulture policy and the ÖWM have worked out a strategy that, on the one hand, leaves every winegrower plenty of room for innovation, but on the other hand, propagates some regionally typical wines of origin as archetypes of Austrian wine styles. For the latter, the DAC system of origin was jointly created - the abbreviation stands for "Districtus Austriae Controllatus". If the name of a wine-growing region is written on a wine label in combination with "DAC", you are looking at a quality wine typical of the region. A DAC wine may only be produced from the grape varieties specified for that DAC area and must meet all the specifications of the regulation set by the respective area. Currently, the Austrian DAC family comprises 14 areas. The wines range from spicy Grüner Veltliner as the Weinviertel DAC to fiery Blaufränkisch as the Mittelburgenland DAC and specialities such as the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC or Weststeiermark DAC Schilcher.
The ÖWM holds a large number of events every year to inspire wine lovers around the world with Austria's wines. The focus is on the annual SALON Österreich Wein, the country's toughest wine competition, major projects such as the VieVinum or the Wine Summit, as well as participation in international wine fairs such as ProWein and Vinexpo, which are implemented in cooperation with partner organisations.
The sustained success of this quality strategy is demonstrated by the popularity of Austrian wines worldwide. In 2018, a new record was set with an export value of 170 million euros! Exports to Germany, which continues to be Austria's largest wine export market, account for about half of this.
Wine-growing regions as of October 2019
©ÖWM / ÖWM