Christoph Neumeister is the third generation to run the Neumeister Winery in Straden. His approach to viticulture and winemaking, as well as his standards for wine quality, are highly nuanced. At a time when the loudest, biggest or most flamboyant elements often take centre stage, he consciously pursues a long-term, holistic and labour-intensive approach to produce elegant wines characterised by inner calm and complexity, yet which remain lively and satisfyingly profound.
Straden is situated in the volcanic region of Styria in south-eastern Austria and is characterised by a mixed Illyrian-Pannonian climate. This brings warm days and cool nights, as well as sufficient rainfall averaging 900 millimetres per year, which in turn results in a long growing season and allows for a late harvest. In this challenging climatic environment, 30 hectares are cultivated, spread across countless small vineyards on steep slopes. The geology of these vineyards is characterised by limestone-rich sedimentary soils of two different origins: sandstone and shell limestone, formed from a mudflat sea, as well as Sarmatian gravel, which was deposited here during the Tertiary period, having come from the Alps.
Many of these vineyards are 40 years old or more, and some are still planted in single-vine rows, which requires labour-intensive manual work. Furthermore, all vineyards have been farmed organically since 2013. The result of careful hand-harvesting, extended maceration periods, gentle and slow ageing in the cellar, spontaneous fermentation, long contact with the lees and late bottling are well-structured and elegant wines with a high degree of complexity and a clear sense of terroir.
The estate’s premium vineyards are ‘Saziani’ and ‘Moarfeitl’ (GSTK) as well as ‘Klausen’ and ‘Steintal’ (1STK). The family runs the Michelin-starred restaurant ‘Saziani’ and a boutique hotel in the immediate vicinity of the estate. Christoph Neumeister was awarded the title of ‘Falstaff Winemaker of the Year’ at the Hofburg in Vienna in June 2019.
Route
