Summary
Weingut Gernot & Heike Heinrich in Gols is one of Austria's best-known natural-wine addresses. What Gernot Heinrich started in 1990 with just one hectare is today a roughly 90-hectare biodynamic estate around Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. The estate first became famous in the 1990s with powerful red blends such as Salzberg and Gabarinza. The real break came in 2006: the couple converted the entire operation to biodynamic viticulture and radically reoriented both vineyard and cellar – towards pure, precise and lively wines. The flagship grape is Blaufränkisch, which the Heinrichs bring to great finesse above all on the cool Leithaberg.
History
The estate's story begins in 1990, when Gernot Heinrich founded his own winery next to his parents' business in Gols with around one hectare. Together with his wife Heike he expanded the estate quickly over the following years. As early as the late 1990s the two gained international attention – back then in a wholly classic sense, with dense, barrique-aged red blends that ranked among Austria's most sought-after wines.
The decisive turning point came in 2006: rather than simply continuing the successful course, the Heinrichs consistently converted their entire estate to biodynamic viticulture. In the years that followed they reduced the use of new oak, cut back on sulphur and increasingly focused on origin and purity rather than power and concentration. One of Burgenland's flagship red-wine estates thus became one of Europe's most influential natural-wine producers.
Location & Terroir
What sets the Heinrichs apart is their work on both sides of Lake Neusiedl. The large steppe lake acts as a heat store and climate regulator, shaping the entire region. Around their home village of Gols on the eastern side lie the warmer, often sandy-loamy sites – such as Gabarinza and Salzberg – which yield the full-bodied, ripe reds.
On the cooler western side, on the Leithaberg, they farm sites on limestone and slate – including the Alter Berg in Winden (limestone) and the Edelgraben in Breitenbrunn (slate). These soils and the cooler microclimate give Blaufränkisch in particular its taut structure, fine minerality and cool fruit, which define the estate's style today. The contrast between the warm Gols sites and the cool Leithaberg is the basis of its stylistic range.
Style & Philosophy
At the core is the biodynamic work in the vineyard: cover crops between rows, compost and preparations, no synthetic inputs, certified to Demeter and respekt-BIODYN. The aim is a living soil that shows in the wine as undistorted as possible.
In the cellar this leads to minimal intervention: spontaneous fermentation with the vineyard's own yeasts, little to no added sulphur, no fining or filtration on many wines. Depending on the wine, fermentation and ageing take place in stainless steel, large oak casks and sandstone amphorae. The result is wines that aim less for power than for drinkability, clarity and energy – a deliberate counter-model to the estate's own earlier, more opulent style.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range runs from approachable entry wines to the great single-site and blend wines:
- Salzberg – the iconic red flagship blend from the warm Gols sites
- Gabarinza – the second great red blend, named after the site of the same name
- Pannobile – a blend made within the Gols winemakers' group of the same name
- Blaufränkisch Leithaberg DAC – incl. from the Alter Berg (Winden) and Edelgraben (Breitenbrunn) sites
- „Freyheit“ – a series of especially pure wines vinified without additives
- „Naked“ – the unfiltered entry line (red and white)
Add to these single-varietal wines from Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir as well as whites from Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.
Awards
As early as the 1990s and early 2000s, Heinrich's red blends were among Austria's highest-rated wines and made the estate internationally known. Since converting to biodynamics, the winery has established itself as one of Europe's leading natural-wine addresses and is celebrated by the international wine press and the sommelier scene for its uncompromising, origin-driven style. Its wines are listed worldwide today and are seen by many as a benchmark for how precise and age-worthy biodynamic natural wine can be.