Gernot and Heike Heinrich started in 1990 with a single hectare and a then-radical idea: that Burgenland could make serious, age-worthy reds rather than simple table whites. Three decades on, they farm around 90 hectares across both shores of Lake Neusiedl, hold Demeter and respekt-BIODYN certification, and rank among Austria's biodynamic pioneers.
Backstory
The couple built the estate from a single hectare in 1990, based in Gols on the northeast side of the Neusiedlersee. At a time when the region leaned on simple table whites, their early focus on age-worthy red varieties helped redraw Burgenland's reputation. In 2006 they converted to biodynamic farming, the final step in a long move toward preventive, natural cultivation and a defining part of the estate's identity today.
The Region
Burgenland sits on the warm Pannonian plain, with the shallow, steppe lake of Neusiedl moderating temperature and humidity and tempering the continental heat. The Heinrichs work both the warm, sandy sites around Gols on the eastern shore and the cooler, higher slopes of the Leithaberg across the water, a spread that gives them everything from fresh, easygoing bottlings to structured, mineral reds.
Vineyards & Farming
The estate now covers roughly 90 hectares across both sides of the lake. Eastern sites around Gols, such as Gabarinza and Salzberg, carry sandy loam, red gravel, and abundant sun. Western Leithaberg parcels, including Alter Berg in Winden on limestone and Edelgraben in Breitenbrunn on slate, are cooler with longer hang time. The estate is certified biodynamic through Demeter and respekt-BIODYN, and is part of the Pannobile growers' group.
Winemaking
Both vineyard and cellar follow a minimalist, non-invasive principle: observe natural processes and intervene as little as possible. Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with native yeast, whites often with extended skin contact and reds with gentler maceration. Wines age on their lees in used barrels, frequently unfined and unfiltered, with minimal sulphur. The estate also raises selected cuvees in amphora.
The Wines
Local varieties lead, above all Blaufraenkisch, alongside Zweigelt and St. Laurent, plus whites such as Weissburgunder, Neuburger, and Grauer Burgunder, and some Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Cuvees include the approachable Naked series in white, rose, and red, the Freyheit blends, and amphora-aged bottlings such as Out of the Dark that show the estate's living, low-intervention style at its purest.
