Meinklang Gruner Veltliner

Natural wine has produced plenty of chaos over the years. Meinklang are one of the producers proving low-intervention farming can also produce wines with precision, balance and actual drinkability attached.

Based in Burgenland near the Austrian-Hungarian border, Meinklang operate as a mixed biodynamic farm rather than simply a winery. Cattle, crops, vineyards and biodiversity all exist together as part of the same ecosystem, which sounds very romantic until you remember somebody still has to shovel things occasionally.

The wines themselves cover a huge range, from crisp Grüner Veltliner and aromatic whites through to skin-contact wines, pét-nats and juicy reds built around Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt. Despite the broad range, there’s usually a consistent thread of freshness and energy running through everything.

Burgenland’s warmer climate helps enormously here. Plenty of sunshine gives ripeness and texture, while cooler evenings preserve acidity and aromatic detail. Even the more experimental wines rarely feel sloppy or overly funky. There’s enough precision underneath the natural approach to keep things properly balanced.

Meinklang also helped make biodynamic wine feel less intimidating for a lot of drinkers. The wines remain approachable and joyful rather than feeling like homework. Which is probably how wine should operate most of the time anyway.