From Kenya to Burgenland: International Experience in the Wine Industry

After completing his Bachelor’s degree in International Wine Business, Tim Dornbach is also keen to gain further experience abroad and broaden his horizons – and several of his fellow students are following the same path this academic year. They are beginning the Master’s degree programme in Wine and Food Marketing in Eisenstadt. One of the main reasons the programme has gained recognition is its distinctive focus:

With its recent expansion to include food and gourmet products, the programme also responds to current developments in the industry and opens up additional promising career opportunities for students.

Tim grew up at his family’s Dornbach winery in the Rheingau region, where he remains actively involved in many areas of the business – from working in the vineyard and cellar to helping with events and sales. During a compulsory internship abroad in Kenya, he also gained valuable international experience working in marketing and sales for a wine importer.

This experience in particular gave him a new perspective on the industry. While around 95 per cent of the family winery’s wines are sold directly to private customers, his time in Kenya introduced him to working with larger business clients. “I deliberately wanted to gain experience working with B2B customers and see how wine is marketed internationally.”

He now wants to build on this combination of experience during his Master’s studies. He is particularly looking forward to developing his specialist English vocabulary in the fields of wine and business – something he considers especially important at international events and when communicating with business partners.

In the long term, the incoming student can also imagine helping to develop the family winery’s export activities and tap into new markets. “I tend to see where life takes me, but I always remain open when new opportunities arise,” says the winemaker.

For him, the network he will build during his studies therefore represents a particularly valuable opportunity: to meet people from different countries, exchange experiences and establish lasting professional connections.