This is how the wine year 2022 was: Austria Wine Marketing takes stock
Already in the planning for 2022 is for the Austria Wine Marketing GmbH (AWM) had been clear that a »normal« year would not mean »back to 2019«. The further developments from the Corona years were therefore continued by the AWMB in 2022, which was shaken by the Ukraine war and the resulting inflation crisis.
This was visible, for example, in the variety of event types (on site, online or hybrid), from which the right format was selected depending on the market and situation. The AWMB organized worldwide last year 102 eventswhere 3,470 Austrian wines from 622 wineries were presented.
It should be emphasized above all that after a four-year forced break, the vivinum in the Vienna Hofburg, where 500 wineries present themselves, causes enthusiasm on all sides. 1000 experts from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Vienna.
The gastronomy engine is also humming again
On the home market where just one current winter campaign It was noticeable that the gastronomy was able to keep open again in 2022 after two years full of lockdowns. Sales of Austrian wines via food retailers, which had increased significantly in 2020 and 2021, fell again slightly (-5.5 percent sales, Q1-Q3 2022). On the other hand, sales in the catering trade rose sharply (+37.5 percent in catering wholesale, Q1-Q3 2022). According to the AWMB, this is particularly important for Austria’s winegrowers, as they can sell their high-quality wines in the catering trade and such higher added value achieve.
Sought after abroad
After the record year 2021 with the largest export growth ever, the export value continued to rise in 2022. By September it had increased by 7.5 percent to EUR 175.3 million. Although the volume of wine exported fell by 4.4 percent, this caused the average price to rise to 3.44 euros per liter. If the trend continues, Austria could end up with the full-year figures for 2022 Highest average price enter into its export history.
The mood for the coming year is also positive: in 2023 it will therefore be a concern of the AWMB to have a higher one added value for the local winegrowers: inside.