Martiniloben

From an idea to an economic factor in the fall

St. Martin's Day is on 11/11. Around the day of St. Martin, cellars are opened, wine is tasted and young wines are baptized. The "inventors" of the Martiniloben talk about the history behind it.

But has it always been like this? The answer is no. The first Martiniloben was held in Burgenland in 1988, hosted by Sepp Sailer from Frauenkirchen. He was the coordinator of the district winegrowers' association and invited winegrowers, mayors and winegrowers' association members to a wine baptism in Frauenkirchen. "I wanted to give wine the status it deserved again," explains Sailer.

Expanding the idea further
Paul Wendelin from Gols, himself a member of the "Young Winegrowers" at the time, was also there. "And so innovative and keen to experiment," laughs Wendelin today. He liked the idea of the Martiniloben and wanted to develop it a little further. "Sailer's idea was that the Martiniloben should take place in a different municipality every year, so I offered to be the next one in Gols," Wendelin explains.

Sepp Sailer is considered the "inventor" of the Martiniloben. And he still enjoys taking part himself.(Bild: Sailer)

Paul Wendelin: He organized the first Martiniloben in Gols in 1989.(Bild: Sailer)

Doors opened for guests
No sooner said than done. In 1989, the Martiniloben was held for the first time on the main square in Gols. "But we didn't just invite people from the industry, we made it a party for everyone. We basically opened the doors to guests and all kinds of customers, and it worked." Even if some were skeptical. Today, the idea of the Martiniloben has become an economic factor.

In 1990, the next Martiniloben - organized by Sepp Sailer - took place in Illmitz. "But we didn't want to give up our Martiniloben and held one ourselves," smiles Wendelin. And at some point, almost every municipality in the district of Neusiedl am See jumped on the bandwagon.

Region benefits
It is now impossible to imagine the event year without the collective wine tasting and the presentation and christening of the young wines. An idea that benefits an entire region. Are the gentlemen proud of their work? "A little, yes," is their friendly answer.