I'm a simple girl...they got me good with the fantastic labels, story and natural winemaking. I haven't tasted any of the wines so I can't comment on quality, but they're still on my 'wines I covet' list.
I think their labels are genius...they are/were unique, they have a unified look, but are distinctive enough from each other for me to follow and recognise the story (something that similar branding fails to do coz they all look like the same face to me 🤣). And I still believe that a well designed label often correlates to the attention to detail paid to the entire project (including the wine inside the bottle).
Not gonna lie, I buy into the story of the wine...I think it's human nature and I'm not surprised that people have latched onto this brand. Truth be told, I'd choose a great story and good wine over zero story to an outstanding wine without an engaging story. In all fairness, some brands have wonderful stories that they just don't know how to tell 🤣!
I feel this so much. You’re not alone - there’s something magnetic about a bottle that feels like it’s part of a bigger universe. And Gut Oggau does that so well. The labels pull you in, the characters make you curious, and before you know it, you’re emotionally invested in a wine you haven’t even tasted yet haha!
And yes - story matters. Humans are wired for it. I think wine without a story can feel flat (happens waaaay too often), no matter how technically perfect it is. The wines I remember most aren’t always the most ‘correct’ - they’re the ones that made me feel something.
I’ve had the chance to try one or two of these wines, and they generally live up to the marketing. Would love to do a more comprehensive tasting one of these days!
I think what Gut Oggau have achieved is amazing, because they manage to market and publicise what they do in a way that doesn't feel contrived or laboured.
Anyone who has met and talked with them (I'm lucky to count them as friends) will know that the style of their social media posts and their labels is just... them. It's how they are!
It helps that I've always loved the wines too. I'm curious how you feel the style changed after 2017. Of course I taste the odd wine here and there that I don't like. If we talk about underperforming cuvées, it would be Mechtild for me.
But I just tasted their new releases a couple of weeks back and was blown away. They all felt very pure, fruit driven and joyful.
This is the other important part: far more hard work goes into the farming and the winemaking than does into the marketing. If it wasn't so, it wouldn't work.
Thanks for engaging in the conversation Simon, always happy to see your comment on here! Totally agree - what makes Gut Oggau work is that none of it feels like a “strategy.” The branding, the storytelling, the labels - it’s all an extension of who they are, and that level of coherence is rare. You can’t fake that stuff.
I’ve always respected that about them and the post-2017 shift I mentioned wasn’t a dramatic change, more like a slow drift. Some of the wines felt simpler, less exciting, maybe leaning a little too "glou-glou" than before. Could be vintage, could be intention. I haven’t kept up with every release, so it’s good to hear the new ones are hitting that purity, brightness and expressiveness again. That’s what I used to love most about them.
I'm a simple girl...they got me good with the fantastic labels, story and natural winemaking. I haven't tasted any of the wines so I can't comment on quality, but they're still on my 'wines I covet' list.
I think their labels are genius...they are/were unique, they have a unified look, but are distinctive enough from each other for me to follow and recognise the story (something that similar branding fails to do coz they all look like the same face to me 🤣). And I still believe that a well designed label often correlates to the attention to detail paid to the entire project (including the wine inside the bottle).
Not gonna lie, I buy into the story of the wine...I think it's human nature and I'm not surprised that people have latched onto this brand. Truth be told, I'd choose a great story and good wine over zero story to an outstanding wine without an engaging story. In all fairness, some brands have wonderful stories that they just don't know how to tell 🤣!
I feel this so much. You’re not alone - there’s something magnetic about a bottle that feels like it’s part of a bigger universe. And Gut Oggau does that so well. The labels pull you in, the characters make you curious, and before you know it, you’re emotionally invested in a wine you haven’t even tasted yet haha!
And yes - story matters. Humans are wired for it. I think wine without a story can feel flat (happens waaaay too often), no matter how technically perfect it is. The wines I remember most aren’t always the most ‘correct’ - they’re the ones that made me feel something.
I’ve had the chance to try one or two of these wines, and they generally live up to the marketing. Would love to do a more comprehensive tasting one of these days!
Try to go to a distributor tasting if they have one in your area, then write about it!
On it! 🫡
I think what Gut Oggau have achieved is amazing, because they manage to market and publicise what they do in a way that doesn't feel contrived or laboured.
Anyone who has met and talked with them (I'm lucky to count them as friends) will know that the style of their social media posts and their labels is just... them. It's how they are!
It helps that I've always loved the wines too. I'm curious how you feel the style changed after 2017. Of course I taste the odd wine here and there that I don't like. If we talk about underperforming cuvées, it would be Mechtild for me.
But I just tasted their new releases a couple of weeks back and was blown away. They all felt very pure, fruit driven and joyful.
This is the other important part: far more hard work goes into the farming and the winemaking than does into the marketing. If it wasn't so, it wouldn't work.
Thanks for engaging in the conversation Simon, always happy to see your comment on here! Totally agree - what makes Gut Oggau work is that none of it feels like a “strategy.” The branding, the storytelling, the labels - it’s all an extension of who they are, and that level of coherence is rare. You can’t fake that stuff.
I’ve always respected that about them and the post-2017 shift I mentioned wasn’t a dramatic change, more like a slow drift. Some of the wines felt simpler, less exciting, maybe leaning a little too "glou-glou" than before. Could be vintage, could be intention. I haven’t kept up with every release, so it’s good to hear the new ones are hitting that purity, brightness and expressiveness again. That’s what I used to love most about them.