Summary
Weingut Neumeister in Straden is the flagship of Vulkanland Steiermark and ranks among the finest white-wine producers in Austria. On around 30 hectares of steep, small-parcel vineyards it produces Sauvignon Blanc, Morillon (Chardonnay), Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Gelber Muskateller – spontaneously fermented, aged for a long time on the lees and built with a structure that easily carries many years in bottle. Since 2009 Christoph Neumeister has led the family estate in the third generation. He converted the estate consistently to organic farming and was named Winemaker of the Year by Falstaff in 2019. The estate also includes the Saziani Stub'n, a restaurant with hotel that has united wine and cuisine since 1987.
History
The story of the estate begins in 1971, when Rupert Neumeister took over the Saziani estate, previously managed by the province of Styria, and merged it with the family's own vineyards. From 1981 Albert and Anna Neumeister ran the business. They developed it into a proper wine estate and shaped its profile: Albert Neumeister began farming the vineyards close to nature as early as the 1990s, and in 1987 the couple opened the Saziani Stub'n, which quickly became one of the best-known gourmet addresses in Styria.
In 1998 a modern cellar built into the hillside was completed, extended in 2003 by a barrel cellar and tasting rooms. In 2009 their son Christoph Neumeister took over the management. After his training – including a stint with a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in South Tyrol – he converted the estate to organic farming from 2008; the vineyards have been certified since the 2013 vintage. Under his leadership Neumeister became the reference of Vulkanland and was honoured with the title Falstaff Winemaker of the Year in 2019.
Location & Terroir
Straden lies in Vulkanland Steiermark in the south-east of Austria, a hilly landscape shaped by extinct volcanoes. Neumeister's vineyards are spread over steep, partly terraced slopes around the village. Contrary to what the region's name suggests, the vines here grow mainly on calcareous sediment soils from the Tertiary: sandstone, shell limestone, clay marl and Sarmatian gravel. These poor soils limit yields and give the wines their characteristic saline, mineral stamp.
The climate is a field of tension: warm Pannonian influences from the east meet humid, Illyrian air from the south. Hot days and cool nights deliver ripe fruit together with fresh acidity. Many vineyards are over 40 years old, and the small parcels are worked almost entirely by hand – a prerequisite for the precision of the single-vineyard wines.
Style & Philosophy
Christoph Neumeister sees himself as a guide rather than a maker of his wines. The grapes are selectively hand-picked into small crates; in the cellar follow extended skin contact, spontaneous fermentation with the vineyards' own yeasts and long lees ageing – up to 18 months for the single-vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. Fining and fine filtration are dispensed with, and sulphur is used sparingly. The Morillon matures in wooden barrels, the village wines in large casks or stainless steel.
The result is white wines that rely less on loud primary fruit than on structure, depth and salinity. They show their origin more clearly than their grape variety and evolve in bottle over many years. Around 140,000 bottles are produced per year, plus sparkling wine, grape juice, brandies and vinegar.
Origin in three tiers
Since the introduction of the Vulkanland Steiermark DAC (from the 2018 vintage) Neumeister has structured its range according to the Styrian origin model: regional wines as fresh, varietal entry-level wines, village wines from Straden with more density and ageing capacity, and at the top the single-vineyard wines, released only after long maturation and reflecting the character of the individual sites.
Notable Vineyards & Wines
Neumeister is a member of the Steirische Terroir- und Klassikweingüter (STK), which classify their best sites as Erste and Große STK-Rieden. Four of the estate's sites are classified:
- Ried Moarfeitl (Große STK) – the estate's showcase site, Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon of great density and length; the Sauvignon Blanc from Moarfeitl was described by the Wine Advocate as a collectable classic
- Ried Saziani (Große STK) – the historic core of the estate, home of the Pinot varieties Weißburgunder and Grauburgunder
- Ried Klausen (Erste STK) – Sauvignon Blanc with freshness and tension
- Ried Steintal (Erste STK) – steep site with poor soils, mineral whites
The estate also farms further sites such as Buchberg, Silberberg, Weißenberg and Ingerl. The range extends from the regional wine via the village wine Straden to the single-vineyard wines, complemented by Gelber Muskateller, Traminer and small quantities of Zweigelt and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir).
Awards
The greatest success to date came in 2019, when Falstaff named Christoph Neumeister Winemaker of the Year – at what was then the magazine's largest white-wine gala in Vienna's Hofburg. In 2021 the estate was admitted to Falstaff's circle of five-star estates, which includes only Austria's very best producers. In the same period wein.plus honoured the wines as Collection of the Year, and Stephan Reinhardt of the Wine Advocate praised the Sauvignon Blanc from Ried Moarfeitl as a classic of great individuality. The Saziani Stub'n has also been one of Styria's best-known restaurants for decades – proof that at Neumeister wine and cuisine belong together.
