From Grapes to Stories: New Visegrad project will help winemakers put storytelling into practice

The Faculty of Economics and Administration at Masaryk University (ECON MUNI) has launched an international project entitled From Grapes to Stories: Storytelling at the Heart of Sustainable Wines in the Visegrad Region, funded by the Visegrad Fund. The aim is to support winemakers in the V4 countries — in Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary — in using storytelling as a strategic tool to strengthen sustainable production, build brands and reach customers. The kick-off meeting and workshop of the project team took place on 15–17 October 2025.

Three institutions are involved in the project: the Faculty of Economics and Administration of Masaryk University, which is responsible for project management and coordination, the Faculty of Social Studies, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra and the Budapest University of Economics and Business. "The project aims to collect data from all three countries and, among other things, analyse how winemakers use stories to promote organic wine," says the project's principal investigator, Ing. Dušan Mladenović, Ph.D., from the Faculty of Economics and Administration at MU.

Storytelling allows producers to build deeper relationships with customers and strengthen their brand through authentic stories about origin, production processes and sustainability. The Visegrad wine market faces several challenges: declining wine consumption, especially among the younger generation, changing consumer preferences and growing demand for sustainable products. "The younger generation is no longer looking just for quality wine, but above all for an authentic story, transparent origin and an emphasis on sustainability. That is why it is essential for wine producers today to learn how to tell the stories of their wines in a way that appeals to a new generation of consumers," adds Dr Erik Janšto from the Institute of Marketing, Trade and Social Studies at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra.

While European wine consumption is declining, interest in organic and biodynamic wines is growing by approximately 20% per year (according to a study by Towards FnB, June 2025). Although many producers in the V4 region are adopting organic practices, their communication often lags behind. The use of storytelling helps to present the story of the winery, its heritage and environmental impact, and to differentiate the brand from its competitors. "We want to determine the extent to which storytelling is used in a previously unobserved context, both geographical (the V4 region) and thematic (wine production)," explains Dr Mladenović. "Storytelling is significantly more common among Western wine producers, which was and remains our main motivation for undertaking this project."

The project will map the current situation in the use of storytelling in the wine sector, with a focus on organic production. "On the one hand, we will talk to wine producers to gather their experiences, and on the other hand, we will conduct a survey among wine consumers to try to decipher their perception of the elements of storytelling used in marketing communication. Basically, we want to observe both sides," describes Dr Mladenović.

The project team will produce several specific outputs with a practical focus. The main outputs include a best practice guide that will collect and present examples of effective and ineffective use of storytelling, a report containing consumer insights and an overview of the current situation in the field, and a set of storytelling tools designed to support winemakers and other users in improving basic practices.

The project brings a comprehensive approach to the use of storytelling in winemaking, which has been lacking in the V4 region, and builds on the global trend of sustainable production. Implementation will run from 1 October 2025 to 1 March 2027.

Contacts

Project e-mail: story4wine@econ.muni.cz

Ing. Dušan Mladenovič, Ph.D.
Principal investigator, Masaryk University
tel. +420 774 195 459
e-mail: dusan.mladenovic@econ.muni.cz

Ing. Erik Janšto, Ph.D.
Local coordinator, Slovak University of Agriculture
e-mail: erik.jansto@uniag.sk

Blanka Šustrová
Project Manager, Masaryk University
e-mail: blanka.sustrova@econ.muni.cz

List of institutions involved in the project:

• Masaryk University (Czech Republic)
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)
• Budapest University of Economics and Business (Hungary)

The project is co-financed by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.