The head of the Austrian company, Michael Blaschitz, said after the auction that he believed in a long-term success story in the Vipava valley, where the winemaker is located.

However, things will have to be sped up, as the time of grape harvest is nearing, he added. Agromib knows wines from the area and even bought grapes from the Vipava valley last year.

The Austrian company wanted to buy Agroind already back in 2015, when it was sold by the Bank Asset Management Company, Slovenia's bad-bank, to an Ukrainian-owned company.

Following the takeover, the Vipava-based winemaker entered receivership at the workers' request in May last year.

The fate of the company is important for the region, as local vineyard owners rely on Agroind to buy off their grapes.

The mayor of nearby Ajdovščina, Tadej Beočanin, was also present at the auction, but Ajdovščina and Vipava failed to establish a consortium to buy the winemaker.

"We were seeking a strategic partner...who would take Agroind on a path we wanted; to develop wine growing and production in the area," he said.

The new owner also spoke to the workers during due diligence, with Andrej Furlan, a worker representative, saying that they were satisfied and expected good cooperation in the future.