The Parents & the Next Generation
BioWeinGut Lehner is the estate of the Lehner family — a multi-generational family farm in Gols, on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, that has evolved from mixed agriculture into a wine-focused biodynamic estate of unmistakable conviction. Erwin and Sigrid Lehner anchor the present: Erwin reigns in the cellar, supporting the unique character of each wine without forcing change; Sigrid is the driving force behind the estate's deep ecological commitment, a woman who finds her intellectual companions in Goethe and Rudolf Steiner. Their children, Sebastian and Victoria, have taken the lead in shaping the estate's future — Sebastian emphasizing that native yeasts give the wines more complex character and depth, Victoria bringing her own energy to the family's collaborative vision. The estate was certified organic in 2015 and fully transitioned to Demeter biodynamic farming in 2019. The core belief is simple and profound: everything comes from the soil. The 10 hectares of vineyards benefit from the warm Pannonian climate and the moderating influence of Lake Neusiedl, with sandy-silty soils in top sites like Ungerberg and Altenberg that retain and release water with perfect timing. The family also operates LEHNERs faire WIRTSCHAFT — an on-site bio-Heuriger serving regional cuisine, where the wine is poured by the same hands that pruned its vines. This is not merely a winery; it is a living organism of family, soil, and the conviction that biodynamic agriculture is the only way to honour the landscape that surrounds them.
Erwin & Sigrid & the Goethe-Steiner Conviction
The story of BioWeinGut Lehner is the story of a family that has farmed the same land for generations, evolving from mixed agriculture to a wine-focused estate without losing its connection to the broader rhythms of nature. The family historically ran a mixed farm — vines alongside fields, orchards, and livestock — and this polycultural heritage still informs their approach to viticulture. Today, the focus is squarely on wine, but the estate retains the biodiversity and ecological awareness of its agricultural past. The family lives and works in Gols, a village of fewer than 3,000 inhabitants that hosts more than 100 winemakers and has become a stronghold for biodynamic farming in the Neusiedlersee region.
Erwin Lehner is the cellar master — a man whose domain is the quiet darkness beneath the vineyard, where he supports the unique characteristics of each wine without forcing change. His approach is not one of control but of accompaniment: the wine leads, and he follows, adjusting only when necessary to ensure that the natural process reaches its fullest expression. Sigrid Lehner is the philosophical and ecological engine of the estate — the driving force behind the conversion to organic certification in 2015 and the full Demeter biodynamic transition in 2019. Her convictions are not merely practical but deeply intellectual; during a visit to the estate, she referenced Goethe and Rudolf Steiner as her guiding lights — the poet-scientist who saw nature as a living, evolving organism, and the philosopher who gave biodynamics its spiritual and methodological framework. For Sigrid, biodynamic farming is not a certification to be marketed but a deep conviction that this is the only way to bring the farm into harmony with the natural landscape that surrounds it.
The next generation — Sebastian and Victoria — has already taken the lead in shaping the estate's creative direction. Sebastian brings a technical and philosophical clarity to the cellar: he emphasizes that spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts gives the wines more complex character and depth than any commercial inoculation could provide. Victoria contributes her own energy to the family's collaborative vision, ensuring that the estate remains a true family project rather than a patriarchal inheritance. Together, the four of them — Erwin, Sigrid, Sebastian, and Victoria — form a unit that is rare in the wine world: two generations working not in succession but in parallel, each bringing what the other lacks, united by a shared belief that the soil is the beginning and end of everything they do.
"Everything comes from the soil. We prioritise building a living, vibrant foundation for the vines, avoiding herbicides and chemical sprays, and fostering biodiversity with interplanted fruit trees, shrubs, and vegetable patches."
— Sigrid & Erwin Lehner
Gols & the Pannonian Lake
Gols sits on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl — Neusiedlersee — a massive, shallow steppe lake that moderates the harsh continental climate of the Pannonian plain and makes viticulture possible in a region that would otherwise be too extreme. The lake's vast water surface and broad reed belt act as a climate regulator, storing heat during the day and releasing it at night, extending the growing season and allowing grapes to achieve full phenolic ripeness while retaining the acidity that keeps the wines fresh. The Pannonian climate is characterised by hot summers, cold winters, and significant day-night temperature differences — but the lake's presence softens the edges, creating a microclimate of reliability and generosity that has made Gols one of Austria's most important wine villages.
The estate's 10 hectares of vineyards are planted on sandy-silty soils that are particularly excellent at retaining and releasing water — a crucial quality in a region where summer drought can stress vines and concentrate sugars too quickly. The top sites — Ungerberg and Altenberg — are the source of the estate's most profound wines, where the soil's water-retention capacity allows for slow, even ripening and the development of fully aromatic, complex grapes. These are not the limestone slopes of the Leithaberg or the granite hills of the Weinviertel; they are the flat, warm, lake-influenced plains of the Neusiedlersee, where the vine's challenge is not survival but balance — achieving ripeness without excess, concentration without heaviness, and fruit without the loss of acidity.
The farming is certified Demeter biodynamic — a transition completed in 2019 after organic certification in 2015. But the family's commitment goes beyond the certification minimum. They avoid herbicides and chemical sprays entirely, foster biodiversity with interplanted fruit trees, shrubs, and vegetable patches, and view the vineyard not as a monocultural factory but as a living ecosystem that must be nurtured rather than exploited. The composting, the cover crops, the careful observation of lunar and planetary rhythms — all are part of a daily practice that Sigrid Lehner describes as the only way to truly harmonise with the natural landscape. The result is a vineyard that is alive: buzzing with insects, rooted in healthy microbiomes, and producing grapes that carry the vitality of their soil into the cellar and eventually into the bottle.
The varieties are chosen for their suitability to the Pannonian warmth and the sandy-silty soils. Blaufränkisch — the great red grape of Burgenland — finds here a version of itself that is ripe, dark, and generous, with the spicy mineral backbone that distinguishes the best expressions of the variety. Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) — the most important white variety of the region — produces wines of body, creamy texture, and subtle nuttiness. The indigenous Neuburger — a variety with a long history in the Neusiedlersee — adds a distinctive, slightly exotic aromatic character that is uniquely Austrian. And Grüner Veltliner — usually associated with the cooler north — here finds a warmer, riper expression that broadens the estate's portfolio and challenges expectations of what the variety can do. This is not a portfolio designed for critical fashion; it is a portfolio designed for the place.
BioWeinGut Lehner is located in Gols, Burgenland, on the eastern shore of Lake Neusiedl. A multi-generational family estate that evolved from mixed agriculture to a wine-focused biodynamic farm. Now managed by Erwin and Sigrid Lehner with their children Sebastian and Victoria. Certified organic since 2015 and Demeter biodynamic since 2019. A benchmark for biodynamic viticulture in the Pannonian wine region.
The 10 hectares are planted on sandy-silty soils that excel at retaining and releasing water. Top sites Ungerberg and Altenberg provide slow, even ripening and fully aromatic grapes. The Pannonian climate — hot summers, cold winters, significant day-night differences — is moderated by Lake Neusiedl's vast water surface and reed belt, creating a reliable, generous microclimate.
Certified organic in 2015, fully Demeter biodynamic since 2019. No herbicides, no chemical sprays. Interplanted fruit trees, shrubs, and vegetable patches foster biodiversity. The vineyard is managed as a living ecosystem — composting, cover crops, lunar rhythms, and the observational patience that comes from generations of farming the same land.
The family operates an on-site bio-Heuriger — LEHNERs faire WIRTSCHAFT — serving regional cuisine alongside the estate's own wines, juices, and spirits. This is not a separate business but an extension of the farm: the same hands that prune the vines pour the wine, the same soil that grows the grapes feeds the kitchen, and the same guests who drink at the table walk the vineyard in the morning.
Untouched Beauty & the Poetic Names
The cellar philosophy at BioWeinGut Lehner is governed by a principle of respect and minimal intervention that mirrors the biodynamic approach in the vineyard: the wine is allowed to find its own voice, and the winemaker's role is to listen rather than to dictate. Erwin Lehner, whose domain is the cellar, treats each wine gently — supporting its unique characteristics without forcing change, allowing the natural process to unfold with only the subtlest guidance. The grapes are hand-harvested into small containers and brought to the cellar for gentle pressing. Fermentation is always spontaneous, carried out by indigenous yeasts that have adapted to the sandy-silty soils and the Pannonian climate of the Neusiedlersee. There are no commercial yeast inoculations, no enzymatic corrections, no chaptalisation, and no acidification. Many wines are bottled ungeschönt — unadorned, unfiltered, and with little or no added sulfur — a practice that demands absolute cleanliness in the cellar and absolute confidence in the vineyard's health.
The portfolio is divided into two complementary directions: the classic line and the experimental line. The classic wines — Blaufränkisch, Weißburgunder, Neuburger, and Grüner Veltliner — are vinified with the same spontaneous, minimal-intervention approach but are designed for clarity, immediate pleasure, and the honest expression of their varieties and sites. These are wines that prove biodynamic farming does not require esoteric winemaking; they are clean, precise, and food-friendly, with the depth and vitality that only healthy soil can provide. The Weißburgunder is creamy and nutty, the Neuburger is exotic and floral, the Grüner Veltliner is ripe and broad, and the Blaufränkisch is dark, spicy, and mineral — each a faithful portrait of its grape and its place.
The experimental line is where the estate's creative spirit finds its fullest expression — wines with poetic names that reflect the family's philosophical depth and their refusal to accept that wine must be conventional to be serious. Luft & Leben — Air & Life — is a low-intervention cuvée that captures the breath and vitality of the vineyard, often a skin-contact white or a multi-variety blend that challenges conventional categories. Wesen & Substanz — Essence & Substance — is another experimental cuvée, frequently an orange wine (skin-contact white) that reflects the forward-thinking, boundary-pushing side of the Lehner cellar. These wines are unfiltered, often cloudy, with minimal or zero sulfur, and they embody the family's belief that wine should be a living, evolving expression of its origin rather than a standardized product of the laboratory.
Sebastian Lehner's emphasis on native yeasts is not merely a technical preference but a philosophical conviction: he believes that the yeasts that live on the vineyard's grapes and in its cellar are co-evolved with the soil, the climate, and the family's farming practices, and that they produce wines of greater complexity, depth, and authenticity than any commercial strain could replicate. This is not a rejection of science but a deeper application of it — an understanding that the microbiome of the vineyard is as important as the geology, and that the fermentation is a conversation between grape, yeast, and place that no human recipe can improve upon. The result is a cellar that is quiet, clean, and observant — a place where time is respected, where the wine is not rushed, and where every bottle carries the quiet signature of a family that has chosen to farm with conviction rather than convenience.
Spontaneous, Unfiltered & Ungeschönt
The guiding principle of the Lehner cellar is that wine should be untouched — unadorned, unfiltered, and allowed to speak with its own voice. Erwin Lehner's gentle approach and Sebastian Lehner's conviction about native yeasts create wines that are not products of intervention but expressions of place. The classic line proves that biodynamic farming produces wines of clarity and pleasure; the experimental line — Luft & Leben, Wesen & Substanz — proves that the same farming can produce wines of poetry and radical honesty. Each wine is distinct, but all share a common origin: the 10 hectares of Demeter-certified vineyards on the sandy-silty shores of Lake Neusiedl, and a common destination: the glass, where life, soil, and family meet.
The Classic Line & the Poetic Experiments
BioWeinGut Lehner produces a focused and authentic portfolio from its 10 hectares of Demeter-certified biodynamic vineyards in Gols, divided into two complementary directions that reflect the estate's dual commitment to classical pleasure and experimental honesty. All wines are hand-harvested, spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts, and treated with minimal intervention. The classic line offers clean, precise, food-friendly expressions of Blaufränkisch, Weißburgunder, Neuburger, and Grüner Veltliner — wines that prove biodynamic farming produces vitality and depth without requiring esoteric cellar practices. The experimental line offers boundary-pushing cuvées with poetic names — Luft & Leben and Wesen & Substanz — often skin-contact orange wines that are unfiltered, minimal-sulfur, and radically honest. The portfolio spans red, white, and orange — all united by a common character of biodynamic purity, spontaneous fermentation, and the unmistakable signature of a family that believes everything comes from the soil. The following represents the core cuvées as they have emerged from the Lehner family's years of passionate, conviction-driven winemaking on the Pannonian shores of Lake Neusiedl.
"Everything comes from the soil. We prioritise building a living, vibrant foundation for the vines, avoiding herbicides and chemical sprays, and fostering biodiversity with interplanted fruit trees, shrubs, and vegetable patches."
— Sigrid & Erwin Lehner
The Living Soil & the Bio-Heuriger
To understand BioWeinGut Lehner, one must understand that it is not merely a winery; it is a living organism — a family, a farm, a vineyard, a cellar, a Heuriger, and a philosophical conviction all intertwined in a single, breathing entity. The family historically ran a mixed farm, and though the focus is now on wine, the polycultural heritage remains visible in the interplanted fruit trees, the vegetable patches, and the shrubs that grow between the vines. This is not a vineyard designed for industrial efficiency; it is a garden designed for ecological resilience. The biodynamic conversion was not a business decision but a moral one — Sigrid Lehner's deep conviction, rooted in Goethe's understanding of nature as a living whole and Steiner's methodology for farming in harmony with cosmic rhythms, that the only way to truly honour the land is to farm as the land demands.
The identity is also defined by LEHNERs faire WIRTSCHAFT — the on-site bio-Heuriger that serves regional cuisine alongside the estate's own wines, juices, and spirits. This is not a separate revenue stream; it is an extension of the farm's ecosystem. The same hands that prune the vines pour the wine at the table. The same soil that grows the grapes provides the vegetables for the kitchen. The same guests who drink the Luft & Leben in the evening can walk the vineyard in the morning and see the fruit trees that contributed to its biodiversity. The Heuriger is the physical manifestation of the estate's philosophy: that wine is not a product to be sold but a food to be shared, that the farm is not a factory but a home, and that the guest is not a customer but a participant in the family's daily life.
The future of BioWeinGut Lehner is tied to the continued deepening of its biodynamic practices, the maturation of Sebastian and Victoria as the next generation, and the gradual expansion of a portfolio that now speaks to both the classical drinker and the natural wine enthusiast. The Blaufränkisch will continue to be the red flagship — a wine that proves the Neusiedlersee can produce reds of depth and generosity without imitating the Mittelburgenland. The Weißburgunder and Neuburger will continue to define the estate's white identity — creamy, nutty, exotic, and unmistakably Burgenland. The experimental cuvées — Luft & Leben, Wesen & Substanz — will continue to push boundaries, to challenge categories, and to attract a younger, more cosmopolitan audience that finds Vienna too close and Berlin not close enough. And the soil will continue to deepen in health, the microbiome will continue to diversify, and the family's 10 hectares will continue to be a living, vibrant foundation for everything that emerges from it.
In an age of increasing industrialisation and consolidation in wine — of corporate buyouts, engineered yeasts, and global brands — BioWeinGut Lehner stands as a compelling alternative, not because it rejects modernity but because it has embraced a deeper modernity: one that values mixed-farm heritage over monocultural efficiency, Demeter certification over chemical dependency, native yeasts over commercial inoculation, spontaneous fermentation over temperature control, unfiltered clarity over sterile brilliance, minimal sulfur over standardised stability, the poetic name over the marketing category, the bio-Heuriger over the tasting room, Goethe and Steiner over the MBA, the living soil over the dead dirt, interplanted fruit trees over bare vineyard rows, and the specific voice of Gols' sandy-silty Pannonian shores over the standardised replication of a global luxury style. The Lehner family is not merely making wine; they are proving that a family can evolve from mixed agriculture to biodynamic viticulture without losing its soul, that a mother and father can hand the estate to their children not as a burden but as a living project, that a cellar can produce both classical pleasure and experimental poetry from the same soil, and that the simplest philosophy — everything comes from the soil — is often the most radical. From the vineyard to the Heuriger, from the classic line to the experimental cuvée, from the Goethe-Steiner conviction to the native-yeast fermentation, from the parents to the children: all united in one bottle, one soil, one unanswerable argument for the possibility of authentic, biodynamic, family-made, passionately honest wine from the shores of Lake Neusiedl.
Sigrid Lehner's biodynamic commitment is rooted not in marketing but in philosophy — Goethe's vision of nature as a living, evolving organism, and Steiner's methodology for farming in harmony with cosmic rhythms. The conversion to Demeter was a moral decision, not a business one. The result is a vineyard that is alive, buzzing with insects, rooted in healthy microbiomes, and producing grapes that carry the vitality of their soil into the bottle.
The on-site bio-Heuriger is not a separate business but an extension of the farm's ecosystem. The same hands that prune the vines pour the wine. The same soil that grows the grapes feeds the kitchen. The guest is not a customer but a participant in the family's daily life. This is the physical manifestation of the estate's philosophy: wine is food to be shared, the farm is a home, and the table is where the vineyard's work becomes pleasure.