Austria's first specialist wine retail chain was founded in 1993 by the Viennese entrepreneur and wine collector Heinz Kammerer with six shops in ViennaLinz and Graz. In the following years Salzburg, Bregenz and Klagenfurt followed. A further milestone was the opening of the then revolutionary online shop in 1998. In 1999, the first WEIN & CO bar was born at the Vienna Naschmarkt. At the end of 2018, the company was sold to Hawesko Holding AG. In 2019, the management was taken over by Willi Klinger, the former long-time head of the ÖWM (Austria Wine Marketing).
The company concept "Wining-dining-shopping" (in already eight wine bars), i.e. to be able to buy the best wines daily until midnight and enjoy them at the bar at a shopping price, is still unique worldwide. In April 2011, the first "shop in shop" was opened in a MERKUR in cooperation with the Rewe Group. With 20 stores (7 of which have an attached wine bar) throughout Austria, Wein & Co employs more than 270 people. Every employee has the opportunity to attend the Austrian Wine Academy at the company's expense. In addition, there is an internet trade, one third of which supplies customers from Germany.