The Burgenland winegrowers Hannes Schuster, Christian Tschida and Roland Velich want to encourage people to rethink wine and scrutinise its status quo. This is to be realised with their new project REIMAGINE.
Vienna, 25 June 2024
REIMAGINE was founded by winemakers Hannes Schuster, Christian Tschida and Roland Velich in April 2024 to build a bridge between the past and present in wine production and communication in Central Europe. In Burgenland, Austria in particular, they want to contribute to developing greater understanding and confidence in their own identity. Their vision is to sharpen the general perception of the quality and terroir of their unique Pannonian homeland and to bring the characteristic expression of their wines closer to a wide audience. Through targeted support and collaboration with winegrowers and cooperation with the catering and retail sectors, they want to create a new awareness of Burgenland wines of origin. REIMAGEINE is a registered company and is based at Domgasse 8 in the centre of Vienna, with Velich's nephew Thomas Velich acting as managing director. Wines from the three partners and selected colleagues can be purchased in the 777 bookshop at the same address. An online shop at reimagine.wine is being planned; there you will also be able to read about future projects and happenings such as a "reimagined Martiniloben", a traditional event centred around the new wine of the year in November.
The founding idea. The planned introduction of DAC Burgenland and revision of the current DAC structures as well as the Burgenland rejection of the vineyard classification are welcomed by the three winegrowers, as they include all participants for the first time and enable an open dialogue without stylistic prejudices. For a long time, there was no clear discussion of the characteristic features and uniqueness of the magnificent Burgenland wine landscape. According to the REIMAGINE founders, this also had to do with the history of Burgenland - from the demarcation of the border in 1921 to the subsequent "colonisation" as a cheap grape supplier and the post-wine scandal era, in which international grape varieties from Cabernet Sauvignon to Nebbiolo were bottled. The consequence of this was a stylistic development towards sweetness, the use of technology and other enhancers.
Schuster, Velich and Tschida emphasise above all the importance of local varieties - above all Blaufränkisch - but also other grape varieties typical of the Pannonian region, such as Furmint, or varieties that are widespread in Burgenland, such as Grüner Veltliner and Welschriesling, which develop a completely different profile here than in other regions due to the terroir.
Co-operations. To realise its vision, REIMAGINE seeks cooperation with winegrowers, restaurants, retailers and the press and initiates smaller and larger projects. Examples include a Grüner-Veltliner box to be released in autumn in cooperation with selected retail partners and the announcement of future single barrel bottlings with like-minded winegrowers among the new REIMAGINE brand. Attached printable photos © see caption, reprint free of charge if mentioned. Thank you for your reporting.
REIMAGINE FLEXCO
Domgasse 8, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Email: office@reimagine.wine
reimagine.wine
Wine sourcing:
Buchhandlung 777
Domgasse 8, 1010 Vienna, Austria
Tel: +43 1 513 11 77, Email: dw@buchhandlung777.at