Andreas Ziniel

Shortly after New Year's Eve in early 2023, we took a detour to Burgenland to visit Andi Ziniel. Past Heinrich, Tschida and Co. to the final stop of St. Andrä, where the idyllic Zicksee is located, at the flattest point in Austria and just before the border to Hungary. Meinklang is also just around the corner. A sun-drenched and summer-hot area where Burgundy grape varieties, St. Laurent, Zweigelt and some Muskateller really feel at home. As the sun slowly set on the horizon, we realised why.

The soils here are characterised by chalky gravel and form the backbone of Andi's work. And with a lot of care and sustainable organic farming, he brings out the best in them. Andi has now taken over his parents' business and is blazing new trails. In the cellar, he relies on minimalist and natural vinification; he lets the wine speak without exerting much influence. The red wines mature carefully in traditional foudres, large wooden barrels, while the whites retain their lively freshness and energy in stainless steel.

What would you say the Ziniel winery and your wines stand for?

Andreas Ziniel: Fresh wines with tension, light in alcohol but still with complexity from one of the hottest regions of Austria. Another trademark is definitely the saline soils, which bring additional freshness to the wine.

What makes a great wine for you? Or what is important to you personally in a wine?

Andreas Ziniel: Balance, freshness and complexity. The drinking flow must be there in any case.

The region is extremely dry and hot, how has viticulture changed for you in recent years due to climate change? Does this also change things in your work?

Andreas Ziniel: We deal much more intensively with the soils, there are shorter and shorter maceration times in the cellar because we want to produce fresher, more elegant wines. We have the advantage of having a Mediterranean climate and yet cool influences from the Alpine region.

What made you go in the direction of organic/biodynamic/natural wine?

Andreas Ziniel: Our future and the developments nowadays. We are in a very industrialised region, soils are exploited within a generation, you don't want to be part of that. We want to build up soils sustainably and keep them fertile for generations. After the viticulture school in Klosterneuburg you are really branded and you think you can add everything and design the wine. But when you realise that a healthy grape brings everything, you don't need anything. Healthy soils produce healthy grapes and organic / biodynamic farming also means thicker skins and higher acidity levels, which make the wine fresher and livelier.

Are there any learnings or insights regarding winemaking or the wine business that you wish you had had at the beginning of your career?

Andreas Ziniel: Definitely, I see it basically as a development. As far as viticulture is concerned, one will certainly never be completely mature and new tasks and challenges are added every year. Basically, I want to stay true to my grandfather's vision and still go my own way and redefine the way I work.

Dear Andreas, thank you very much for the interview!