Proud of What We’ve Achieved Together, Ready for What’s Ahead: 2024 in Review

Another year seems to have flown by, and it’s time to reflect. A year that once again challenged us, but also brought us many beautiful moments and successes. As always, we’d like to take you on a journey through the past year, sharing our highs and lows, lessons learned, and hopes for the future. One thing is clear: community and solidarity played a particularly important role in 2024.

Beautiful Moments: Our Fondest Memories

At the top of our list of favorite memories are undoubtedly the shared moments we experienced as a team. Our administrative manager, Fabian, highlights activities like our annual hiking trip and Christmas party, as well as the return of one of our long-standing team members from parental leave, as personal highlights.

Our President, Andreas, also treasures memories centered around community, especially the “Wineexpedition Next-Generation”. Together with our young members and the children of our members, we toured our vineyards and celebrated in our wine shop. This experience showed him that the next generation fully supports the winery and is interested in wine culture and the cooperative philosophy.

Experiences are even more meaningful when shared with others. That’s why we look back fondly on events like the "Wine Cellar Night" and the "Aperitivo Panoramico," which successfully took place for the third year in a row. We also hosted many customer and press events, including one in Rome with sommeliers from key restaurants, various international client events, and the exclusive TRES events for journalists and restaurateurs. This year, the press from the DACH region joined us to experience the long-awaited preview of the 2018 vintage of our flagship cuvée and to participate in an expedition through our vineyards showcasing our unique Cru vineyards.

Achievements & Innovations: What Makes Us Proud

Speaking of Cru vineyards, this brings us to one of the year’s most exciting milestones. The introduction of protected geographical units (UGA) into the Alto Adige DOC officially recognized our rigorous vineyard philosophy – a path we’ve been pursuing for decades. This achievement reinforces our commitment, and we’re proud to be the winery with the most UGA-designated wines in the region, with nine in total.

In the field of wine tourism, we introduced two new offerings: Top of Kurtatsch (a tasting of our top wines) and Back in Time (an exclusive tasting of rare vintages). These new experiences allow visitors to dive even deeper into our philosophy and wines. We are thrilled to see this area evolve significantly and to witness the enthusiastic reception of our offerings, especially the unique Wineexpedition!

Another highlight of the year was completing our new offices. After decades in our old 1970s offices, we’re now working in a modern environment that better accommodates our growing team – a true cause for celebration.

From a winemaking perspective, our TRES 2018 deserves special mention. According to our Export Manager, Harald, it might just be the best wine ever produced in our winery’s history – a sentiment that fills not only him but also our cellar team with immense pride.

After the Rain Comes Sunshine: Challenging Moments and Lessons Learned

After enduring a difficult vintage in 2023, we hoped for smoother sailing in 2024. Instead, we faced another year of tough challenges. As Andreas puts it, “The weather wasn’t just tricky—it was catastrophic.” Once again, our members rose to the occasion, and the small-scale structure of our cooperative proved to be a saving grace. The intense, targeted work and generational knowledge about the intricacies of each vineyard carried us through the season. Thankfully, the results for our white wines and Pinot Nero look promising!

Sales also experienced turbulence. Harald describes it as a “roller coaster ride,” starting with a strong fall in 2023, only to see sales drop steadily from April onward before rebounding at the end of summer. Andreas’s takeaway? “After the rain comes always sunshine even if it’s hard to believe sometimes.”

Our team also faced its share of challenges, with three leisure-related injuries causing long-term absences.

Here’s what we learned (and experienced) from this year’s ups and downs:

… even when things don’t go as planned, staying true to your path pays off.
… reliable, committed employees and strong team spirit are invaluable.
… flexibility and adaptability are key.
… a recreational safety course, in addition to our workplace safety training, might be worth considering. 😉
… lightweight bottles not only reduce CO2 emissions but have won us over entirely – and will hopefully soon win you over too!

In a Nutshell: What We're Grateful for

… that despite numerous leisure-related injuries and intensive vineyard work, we had no workplace accidents.
… the incredible commitment and reliability of our team, who step up when needed and stick together in tough times.
… the fantastic interns who supported us in the cellar, marketing, and sales.
… the favorable weather window from August to mid-September.
… our exceptional vineyards, and the people in the cellar and vineyard who bring their unique potential to life in every bottle.
… our hardworking members, who, with dedication and perseverance, defied adverse weather conditions to deliver top-quality grapes, and our board of administration, who actively contribute and support us.

Looking Ahead: What We Want More of in 2024 and What We're Excited About

What we want more of:

… involving the younger generation even more in our work and the cooperative.
… reaching 100% sustainably certified vineyards (after achieving 70% in 2024).
… national and international recognition and awards for our wines.

We're excited about:

… the 2022 vintage of our FREIENFELD Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva.
… celebrating 125 years of unity under our motto, "Viribus Unitis – With United Strength."
… bringing to life the many ideas and projects that have been waiting to be realized.