Austria · Traisental

Weingut Ludwig Neumayer KG

Limestone-shaped Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from Inzersdorf in Austria’s Traisental.

The producer

Ludwig Neumayer turned his parents’ farm in Inzersdorf ob der Traisen into a winery in the 1980s, before Traisental was a designated wine-growing region. The estate now farms about 15 hectares across small terraces and scattered parcels, where lean limestone-rich ground runs between Danube loess and rockier country towards the Wachau.

Grüner Veltliner leads the range, with Riesling close behind. Ried Rafasetzen shows Grüner’s pear, apple, herb and white-pepper side over calcareous clay; higher, stonier parcels feed the concentrated “Der Wein vom Stein” wines. Expect dry white wines with bright acidity, chalky mineral texture, moderate body and a saline finish rather than oak-driven weight.

Known for

Site-led Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from stony limestone terraces.

Notable facts

The story

Before Traisental Had Its Name

During the 1980s, Ludwig Neumayer decided to continue his parents’ farm as a winery when Traisental had not yet become a designated wine-growing region. He began the project with his brother Karl. The move came before the regional name and formal structure now printed on the estate’s bottles had taken shape. At the family farm in Inzersdorf ob der Traisen, the brothers redirected the work toward white-wine production while the surrounding region was still being established as a wine-growing area.

From the atlas

Weingut Ludwig Neumayer KG

At A Glance

Weingut Ludwig Neumayer is a white-wine estate in Inzersdorf ob der Traisen, Lower Austria. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling lead a roughly 15-hectare holding of small limestone terraces, so the wines move through citrus, pear, pepper, chalky texture and dry, saline finishes rather than heavy fruit.

The Producer

Ludwig Neumayer makes wine at Dorfstrasse 37 in Inzersdorf ob der Traisen, where the estate concentrates on white varieties. Grüner Veltliner supplies the peppery, herbal side of the cellar; Riesling brings citrus, stone fruit and floral notes. Named vineyards then narrow that broad house style into bottles such as Ried Rafasetzen, Ried Zwirch and Ried Rothenbart.

Place

Inzersdorf sits in Traisental, a Lower Austrian wine region whose name now appears on the labels but did not yet exist as a designated growing region when Neumayer began. The village lies between deeper loess soils nearer the Danube and crystalline rock towards the Wachau; its lean limestone-rich ground directs the estate toward pale, dry whites with bright acidity and a mineral feel.

Soil And Site

The estate’s terraces are small and stony, an arrangement that breaks its approximately 15 hectares into many parcels rather than one broad block. Rafasetzen lies around 250 metres on calcareous clay and is used for spicy Grüner Veltliner. Zwirch rises from roughly 255 to 350 metres, combining limestone, loess and loess clay with old vines whose deep roots support fuller site wines.

Rothenbart reaches up to 380 metres. Red dolomite limestone, iron and manganese mark the soil there, while Himmelreich combines red clay, limestone gravel and calcareous stones at around 300 to 350 metres. The estate draws its “Der Wein vom Stein” selections from the highest and stoniest parts of Zwirch, Rothenbart and Himmelreich, concentrating the limestone thread in a smaller group of wines.

Story

The family farm became a winery in the 1980s, and the present estate has retained the fragmented vineyard pattern around Inzersdorf. Instead of merging those parcels into one generic blend, Neumayer bottles individual sites and also makes selected “Der Wein vom Stein” wines. The range therefore moves from grape-led bottles to labels that name a particular slope, soil mix or old-vine holding.

Vineyards And Cellar

Neumayer works without glyphosate, herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertiliser. Regenerative soil cultivation, mechanical weed management, permanent ground cover and flowering strips keep vegetation in the rows; on the estate’s stony terraces, that approach supports soil cover while the vines draw from limestone below.

Hand-harvested fruit normally ferments spontaneously at cool temperatures, without added aroma yeasts. Limited fining keeps the cellar’s hand light, so Grüner Veltliner can carry its dry fruit and pepper without overt yeast-derived perfume, while Riesling holds onto citrus, floral notes and firm acidity. The result is not oak-led white wine: texture and finish come from fruit, lees contact and site rather than a sweet or woody overlay.

Wines

Grüner Veltliner is the central line. Engelberg, Ried Rafasetzen, Schieflage, Zwiri, Ried Zwirch and Ried Rothenbart each place the grape in a different part of the estate, from fresh, dry and peppery Rafasetzen to old-vine Zwirch and red-limestone Rothenbart. “Der Wein vom Stein” takes Grüner fruit from the highest, stoniest parcels for a more concentrated wine with greater weight and mineral grip; IKON is another concentrated single-vineyard Grüner.

Riesling forms the second major group, including Engelberg, Grillenbart, Ried Rothenbart, “Der Wein vom Stein” and Steinkapelle. Engelberg is described through delicate fruit and limestone, while Rothenbart brings red-limestone character and “Der Wein vom Stein” adds layered fruit. Elsewhere, STOA is a Gemischter Satz from the oldest sites, Weissburgunder “Der Wein vom Stein” combines citrus acidity with Burgundian weight, and Sauvignon Blanc Giess carries fresh fruit and gooseberry notes.

In The Glass

Across the white wines, look first for pear, apple, lemon or stone fruit, then white pepper and herbs in the Grüner Veltliners. Limestone appears less as a flavour than as a chalky, mineral texture alongside bright acidity. The palate is dry and medium-bodied rather than broad or sweet; a little oily weight can sit beneath the fruit, and the finish turns saline, firm and persistent.

A Bottle To Understand It

Neumayer Grüner Veltliner Ried Rafasetzen 2023 is the first bottle to open. It is 100% Grüner Veltliner from Traisental at 12.5% alcohol, and it turns the estate’s local vocabulary into a direct glass: pear and apricot, lemon and apple, white pepper, herbs and chalk. The wine is dry and medium-bodied, with fresh acidity, mineral structure, a slightly oily texture and a saline finish. Rafasetzen also sits on calcareous clay at about 250 metres, linking the peppery fruit to one defined site rather than an unnamed regional blend.

Anecdote

During the 1980s, Ludwig Neumayer decided to continue his parents’ farm as a winery when Traisental had not yet become a designated wine-growing region. He began the work with his brother Karl. The decision was made before the regional name and formal structure now printed on the estate’s bottles had taken shape. A family farm in Inzersdorf was therefore redirected toward white-wine production while the surrounding wine region was still being established, with Ludwig and Karl starting the winery together.

Final Word

Start with Rafasetzen for pepper, pear and saline chalk, then move to Zwirch or Rothenbart when the pull of old vines, altitude and red limestone becomes the point of interest.

Sources

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