As a wine enthusiast, I’ve always been drawn to wines that tell a story. Those that encapsulate the essence of the land, the passion of the winemaker, and the purity of the grape. Michaela Riedmüller‘s wines do just that. An article about natural wines is long overdue here at WinEncsy, and I think it’s the perfect opportunity to write about the subject alongside Michaela’s wine selection called Down to Earth. Her natural, mash-fermented wines are a true testament to her dedication and innovative approach to this type of winemaking. In this post, I would like to talk about natural wines, what mash-fermentation is, and introduce Michaela’s story and the philosophy behind these wines.
Natural Wines
Natural wines have a long tradition but only gained hype in recent years. But why are they different from our everyday bottles? At their core, natural wines are produced with minimal intervention, both in the vineyard and the cellar. This means no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers in the vineyard, and no added sugars, acids, or commercial yeasts in the winemaking process. Usually, these are wines with low sulphite or almost no sulphite added to them. The result is a wine that is a pure reflection of its terroir. The unique combination of soil, climate, and vine grape characteristics of a particular location.
What is Mash-Fermentation?
You might hear the term “skin-contact fermentation” more often. We are talking about the same thing. It is a traditional method where the grape skins remain in contact with the juice during fermentation. This technique is in everyday use for red wines but is becoming increasingly popular for white wines as well. The process extracts more color, tannins, and complex flavors from the skins, resulting in wines with greater depth and texture. For white wines, this can lead to an orange hue and a richer, more robust profile. When this happens, people usually call them orange wines.
However, please don’t categorize all mash-fermented natural wines in the same style. Especially after I have tasted Michaela’s wines, my eyes were wide open to the discovery! Not all mash-fermented natural wines will become orange wines! Au contraire! It all depends on the time on the skins and the style the winemaker wants to achieve. So much room for experimentation…
Michaela Riedmüller‘s Journey
She is a young visionary from Hainburg an der Donau in the Austrian wine region of Carnuntum. Growing up in vineyards filled with Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, it was obvious to her that this would be her path in life. However, it was her desire to push boundaries and explore sustainable practices that set her on a unique course. After studying oenology and gaining experience in various wine regions and countries around the world, she returned to her roots with a clear vision: to create natural wines that honor the environment and express the true character of the grapes. She took over her parents’ business at just 19 years old and bottled her first natural wine in 2016, long before this trend took off. Today, she cultivates eight hectares across the top sites of Spitzerberg and Braunsberg, two of the most exciting vineyards in Carnuntum.
A Little Info About Carnuntum
Carnuntum is located in the easternmost corner of Austria near the Danube and the Slovakian border, between the Carpathians and the Alps. It has a rich winemaking heritage dating back to Roman times. The region’s Pannonian climate, with hot summers and cold winters, backed up with a lot of wind and diverse soils (loess, gravel, and limestone), creates ideal conditions for grape growing. Carnuntum is particularly known for its elegant red wines from the indigenous varieties Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch.
Braunsberg and Spitzerberg Vineyards
Michaela’s vineyards on Braunsberg and Spitzerberg are special places. Braunsberg, with its limestone-rich soils, produces wines with distinctive minerality and elegance. As far as I know, she is the only one bottling a single vineyard Braunsberg in the area. The vineyard’s south-facing slopes benefit from increased sunlight, helping to ripen the grapes fully while maintaining their natural acidity.
Spitzerberg, on the other hand, is famous for its gravelly soils and higher elevation. This vineyard produces wines with great structure and depth, reflecting the unique terroir of this place. The cooler microclimate of Spitzerberg contributes to a slower ripening process, which enhances the complexity and longevity of the wines.
Michaela‘s single vineyard wines from Braunsberg and Spitzerberg are the top of her portfolio. She crafts them with the utmost care, showcasing the unique characteristics of each vineyard.
- Braunsberg Blaufränkisch 2020: The wine has a vivid medium-plus depth of ruby red color with medium-plus viscosity. An elegant and intense nose with notes of red cherry, blueberry, cassis, thyme, star anise, coffee, dark chocolate, and some vanilla. This medium-bodied dry wine has a super ripe and medium tannin structure, high acidity, and well-integrated alcohol with a spicier flavor profile of coffee, pepper, and star anise. Those berry fruits follow in the medium-plus finish.
- Spitzerberg Blaufränkisch: A true expression of the Spitzerberg vineyard, this Blaufränkisch is deep and complex, with a bouquet of dark fruits, spices, and a hint of smokiness. It is a full-bodied wine with well-integrated tannins and a long, elegant finish.
The Down to Earth Portfolio
This collection truly reflects her philosophy of minimal intervention and maximum expression of terroir. Each wine in the portfolio is a journey through the vineyards, showcasing the diverse characters of the grapes and the soil from which they come. The “Down to Earth” series stands for unfiltered, mash-fermented authentic wines with low sulphite, using concrete and ceramic eggs for fermentation and maturing in wooden barrels.
Michaela’s wanderlust and commitment to sustainability have taken her to South Africa, where she found inspiration at the biodynamic Waterloof Wines. The innovative ideas and sustainable practices she witnessed there deeply influenced her approach, shaping the Down to Earth portfolio. Michaela’s experiences abroad, together with her connection to her native terroir, made her the perfect person to create wines that are both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.
I got the chance to taste this portfolio at the last VieVinum event, but there I couldn’t write down all the tasting notes due to the packed schedule I had. However, at home, Michaela was kind enough to send me a bottle of the Down to Earth, From Earth to Down. All of the wines showed me how this approach can be very successful in the world of wines. She made sure the wines spent just enough time on the skins to gain more depth and complexity, but the taste is still fresh and fruity, not overwhelmed with tannins and dryness.
Here are the wines that you can discover in her Down to Earth selection:
- Pet up your Life: Pet Nat from natural fermentation made with Blaufränkisch and Muskateller. This means that it was bottled from the barrel during alcoholic fermentation and put into the bottle. There it was able to develop further and was subsequently disgorged.
- Down to Earth Rosé: From Blaufränkisch, which was stored in small wooden barrels for 8 months and thus completed the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in the barrel. It had all the time in the world to fully develop before it finally came into the bottle unfiltered.
- DTE Light: It is a blend of Welschriesling and Neuburger. It was fermented spontaneously by natural yeasts on the mash for 12 days. A light wine that was stored in a used red wine barrel during the aging process.
- Down to Earth Concrete: Welschriesling coming from the Braunsberg vineyard. After 8 months of maturation in a concrete Nomblot EGG, this wine has been bottled unfiltered.
- Down to Earth Ganz und Gar nicht: A wine from Blaufränkisch and Blauburger. The juice was removed from the mash during fermentation on the 5th day and completed the spontaneous alcoholic fermentation in the used red wine barrel.
- Down to Earth Neuburger from Ceramic Barrel: This Neuburger was mash-fermented and has undergone alcoholic and malolactic fermentation on the grape skin. It was then placed in large wooden barrels for 10 months to fully develop before it was finally bottled unfiltered.
FROM DOWN TO EARTH, FROM EARTH TO DOWN 2022
70% Welschriesling and 30% Neuburger all coming from the Braunsberg vineyard. Both parts of this blend were fermented separately. The Welschriesling was on the skin for 3 days, then pressed and filled directly into used 500-liter barrels. During this time, the Neuburger remained on the skin for 8 days, carried out almost all the alcoholic fermentation on the skin, then pressed and went into used 500-liter barrels. After 18 months, they were blended together: from earth to sky, from heaven to earth. The name describes the circle of life. “Everything we give to the universe will return in the same way!” – Michaela Riedmüller
A golden, slightly hazy wine with a very small amount of perlage after opening the bottle. Intense nose of ripe stone fruits of peach, and apricot with elderflower, lemon peel, acacia, and some yeasty character. The palate is clean, filled with lemon, yellow apple, peach, yellow pear, and a little ginger. It has a fuller body with just a touch of tannins to give complexity and body. The little saltiness at the finish makes you crave more with balanced high acidity and medium alcohol content.
Conclusion
As a fan for a couple of years now, what strikes me most about Michaela Riedmüller’s wines is their authenticity. Each sip feels like a direct connection to the vineyard, a taste of the land, and Michaela herself. Her commitment to natural winemaking ensures that nothing is lost in translation from grape to glass.
Michaela’s journey is truly inspiring, not just because of her success, but because of her dedication to sustainable practices and her innovative approach to winemaking—not to mention how young she was when she already knew what she wanted to do with her life.
In a world where mass production often overshadows artisanal craftsmanship, Michaela Riedmüller‘s wines are a breath of fresh air. They are a testament to what can be achieved when someone knows exactly what they want to create. These wines can be recognized from far away, making them a reflection of Michaela’s passion and expertise in the world of wines. For those of us who appreciate wines with character and quality, these wines are nothing short of a revelation.
Photos by Michaela Riedmüller
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