Austrian Wine Marketing Board reaffirms status as Institute Principal Supporter
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board has restated its long-standing commitment to the Institute of Masters of Wine by signing for a renewed 3-year period as a Principal Supporter.
The signing took place at a brief ceremony at the Esterházy Winery in Trausdorf this morning, at which the Institute was represented by Penny Richards, Executive Director of the Institute. Also present was Pepi Schuller MW, the first Austrian Master of Wine and first non-British Chairman of IMW.
Willi Klinger, Managing Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, said at the signing:
“We at the Austrian Wine Marketing Board are very happy to renew our successful cooperation with the Institute of Masters of Wine as a Principal Supporter. Our relationship is characterized by mutual respect and a deep understanding for the necessity of high standards in wine education for the promotion of wine culture in the world. Our campus in Rust will continue to be the perfect hub for MW Study Programme Stage 1 students. We are also extremely happy that our Austrian Wine Academy has recently joined forces with another major supporter of IMW – Istituto Grandi Marchi – to offer the WSET Diploma between Austria and Italy as a stepping stone to the MW programme.”
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board has supported the Institute since 2004. The organisation hosts the Stage 1 European Education Seminar each January at the Weinakademie Österreich in Rust, Austria. In addition to this, it provides speakers for a number of education seminars annually and provides resources for the Institute at trade events around the globe.
Penny Richards, Executive Director of the Institute, said “The Austrian Wine Marketing Board has been an outstanding partner to the Institute over the last eleven years. They have been an exemplary Principal Supporter, enabling us to amplify our message and extend our reach not only into Austria, but the wider region as well. Their belief in the importance of our work, which is underpinned by their practical support, is very important to us.”
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board has also, since 2009, sponsored the Outstanding Achievement Award for the best overall student in the Master of Wine Examination. In 2012 Andreas Wickhoff MW became the first Austrian to win the award. This year’s award was presented to wine writer Rebecca Gibb MW. Past winners have also included Peter Richards MW, Susie Barrie MW, Antony Moss MW, and Anne McHale MW.
The Institute’s other Principal Supporters are AXA Millésimes, Berry Bros. & Rudd, the Madame Bollinger Foundation, and Waitrose.
Ends (20 Nov 2015)
Please contact:
Ben McKeown
Communications Manager, Institute of Masters of Wine
T: +44 (0)207 383 9131
E: bmckeown@mastersofwine.org
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Notes to Editors:
The Institute of Masters of Wine
There are 340 Masters of Wine today, working in 24 countries. The Membership encompasses winemakers, buyers, journalists, shippers, business owners, consultants, academics, and wine educators. The Institute of Masters of Wine, which is a non-profit organisation, stands for excellence, interaction, and learning. The Institute, which has its headquarters in London, runs courses, events and examinations on four continents. In addition to passing the Institute’s exams, Masters of Wine are required to sign the Code of Conduct and join the Institute before they are entitled to the initials ‘MW’. The Code of Conduct insists that Masters of Wine should act with honesty and integrity, and use every opportunity to share their understanding of wine with others. There are currently 324 students, from 32 countries, in the Master of Wine Study Programme.
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board
The Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Österreich Wein Marketing GmbH) is based in Vienna, and is a national service body for the Austrian wine industry. The organisation was founded in 1986 with the aim to strategically support, coordinate and maintain quality and sales. Its main goal for the domestic market is to strive for an increased market share of Quality Wine, along with the export of bottled quality wine, with particular focus on the continued increase in value. The AWMB’s strategy is to create a balanced mix of marketing activities, that are individually tailored towards their respective markets, including sales support and point of sale materials, image folders, as well as proactive public relations supported by an ongoing advertising campaign (with a special focus on the local characteristics of the wines and their wine-growing regions with the regional wine committees). The Austrian Wine Institute (ÖWI Handels GmbH) is a 100% subsidiary company of the AWMB and distributes the AWMB point of sale and wine accessories through its premises in Korneuburg, and its webshop www.shop.oewi.at. The AWMB owns a 50% share in the Austrian Wine Academy.