The Austrian food service wholesaler Eurogast has published its product catalog for wine and sparkling wine for the 2026/27 season. The catalog, approximately 120 pages long, lists around 450 products from more than 100 producers.
According to the company, the selection of wines, which includes Austrian wine-growing regions as well as European and overseas wine-growing areas, was compiled with the assistance of nine sommeliers and a wine academic. In addition to alcoholic beverages, the publication increasingly features non-alcoholic alternatives, reflecting changing consumption habits in the restaurant industry.
The catalog's focus, with over 50 percent of the listed items, is on the domestic market, covering regions from the Wachau to southern Styria. Designed as both a printed and digital reference work, the publication includes information on protected designations of origin (DAC systems) as well as recommendations for serving temperatures and food pairings. Wholesale companies use such specialized offerings and personalized consulting services from their own staff to strengthen customer loyalty in the trade sector and compete with purely online retailers.
Industry experts and market observers view the expansion of specialized product ranges in the wholesale food trade as a response to the ongoing economic pressure in the restaurant and catering sector. Faced with rising operating costs and stagnant consumer sentiment, restaurateurs are forced to optimize their procurement and increase efficiency when purchasing through full-service suppliers. However, critics point out that standardized wholesaler catalogs can lead to a certain uniformity in beverage menus across the restaurant and catering industry, as many establishments rely on the same logistics structures and core product ranges.
For wholesalers, the economic viability of this segment depends significantly on uninterrupted delivery capability during peak season and the acceptance of digital ordering systems. As restaurants increasingly place short-notice orders to minimize their own inventory, the demands on wholesalers' logistics centers are rising. Whether the digital availability of the catalog can noticeably accelerate ordering processes in rural areas and stabilize sales in the high-margin wine segment will become clear over the course of the coming fiscal year.