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New course for Hesse's wineries: Greiner's surprising resignation!
Dieter Greiner, managing director of the Kloster Eberbach state winery, resigns. Minister Jung is planning a new beginning for the wineries.
New course for Hesse's wineries: Greiner's surprising resignation!
What's going on in the Rheingau? The Hessian state wineries Kloster Eberbach are facing profound change. On Wednesday, Dieter Greiner, the winery's managing director, surprisingly had his last day at work. After 25 years at the top, his contract, which was supposed to run until the end of 2027, will now be terminated. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports that Greiner anticipated this step in order not to stand in the way of the reform initiated by Agriculture Minister Ingmar Jung (CDU).
The new course for the state wineries can already be seen in the first details. Marc Gorbauch, who took up a staff position in the ministry a few weeks ago, is taking over management of the winery on an interim basis. Minister Jung plans to present a successor to Greiner by the end of the month, who will take over the helm by the beginning of 2026 at the latest. This is intended to enable quick decisions regarding the harvest and the range in order to position the winery as a flagship of the region.
Financial challenges and strategic realignment
But the winery's financial situation is tense. In 2022, the negative annual result was around 1.4 million euros, followed by a further loss of almost one million euros last year. Despite these difficulties, further developments are being considered. Minister Jung assures that there will be no layoffs if the vineyard area is reduced. A “personnel linkage” between the state wineries and the Eberbach Monastery is being considered in order to reduce duplicate structures, while a merger was rejected due to legal and tax disadvantages. The Wiesbaden courier explains that these approaches are intended to minimize frictional losses.
The restructuring is urgently needed because there has been a decline in state wineries for years. Eberbach Monastery was once considered a model company in the German wine industry. Today it only plays a marginal role. In the 20th century, the winery owned the most valuable vineyards in Germany and the largest vineyard area in the most prestigious categories. Today, the connection to the modern wine world has been lost and the quality is often described as poor. Eaten up describes that the current wines are perceived as rustic and without great elegance.
A step in the right direction?
Marketing of the state wineries is also an important topic. The current label change, in which the traditional eagle was replaced by a miniature silhouette of Eberbach Monastery, has been met with criticism. Critics see this as an unprofessional and anti-historical step, as the eagle has a long tradition as a Hessian state symbol.
It remains to be seen whether the turnaround will be successful with a new managing director and fresh ideas. The Hessian state wineries are faced with the challenge of combining their tradition with modern demands and asserting themselves in a highly competitive market. What is certain is that there is a lot going on here and the coming months could be decisive for the future of the winery.