Markus Altenburger

Winemaking with a Sense of Place

When you meet Markus Altenburger, one thing becomes immediately clear: he doesn’t just make wine, he listens to it. From his family roots in Burgenland to his forward-looking, minimal-intervention cellar practices, Markus has dedicated his life to letting the land and the vines speak for themselves.

From Family Farm to Focused Vision

Markus grew up in Jois, a village at the northern edge of Lake Neusiedl in Austria’s Leithaberg region. His family has been farmers for generations, working with vines, livestock, and cereals. In 2006, Markus took over the winery and began reshaping its future. Together with his wife, Bernadette, he has gradually grown the estate to around 17 hectares, a mix of family parcels and long-term leased vineyards.

By 2017, the estate achieved full organic certification—a natural step for someone who believes that healthy soils and balanced vineyards are the true foundation of great wines.

Terroir & the Leithaberg Identity

The Leithaberg region is defined by its mix of limestone, slate, and clay soils, with the moderating influence of Lake Neusiedl on one side and the cooling Leitha Mountains on the other. This combination gives Markus’s wines their trademark balance: ripe yet precise, saline and chalky rather than overtly fruity.

For Markus, terroir isn’t a marketing term—it’s the guiding principle. Every choice in the vineyard and the cellar is made to highlight the texture, minerality, and energy of the land.

Blaufränkisch at the Core

Since taking over the winery, Markus has focused almost exclusively on Blaufränkisch, a red variety that he believes best captures the essence of Leithaberg. No other red grape has been planted on the estate since 2006. Alongside this, he works with white varieties such as Chardonnay, Grüner Veltliner, Neuburger, and Traminer, creating wines that share the same clarity of vision.

The style is unmistakable: salty, zesty, chalk-driven wines with depth and authenticity, far from showy or over-styled.

Minimal Intervention Philosophy

In the cellar, Markus follows a low-intervention path:

• Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts.

• Minimal sulfur use, often added only at bottling.

• Gentle handling, avoiding fining or heavy filtration.

• Aging in neutral barrels or large casks to let the wine breathe without masking its character.

His approach is about restraint—doing less, not more—so that the wines remain unadorned reflections of their vineyards.

A Modern Face of Austrian Wine

Markus Altenburger is widely recognized as one of the leading figures in Austria’s new wave of winemakers. His wines are celebrated by natural wine lovers and serious collectors alike. Cuvées such as his “Club Batonnage” demonstrate both his playful spirit and his pursuit of quality, while his single-vineyard Blaufränkisch bottlings showcase the depth of his terroir.

His journey has been described as transformational: a move away from conventional winemaking toward a philosophy rooted in authenticity, ecology, and trust in nature. Today, his estate is a benchmark for what Burgenland—and Austria as a whole—can achieve.

Contact Information for Markus Altenburger

• Website: https://markusaltenburger.com/

• Email: halloservusgriasdi@markusaltenburger.com

• Phone: +43 660 7159845

• Winery Address: Untere Hauptstraße 62, 7093 Jois, Austria