Heidi Schröck & Söhne | Burgenland

Heidi Schröck is a pioneer in the Austrian wine scene. Voted ‘Vintner of the Year’ by food and wine magazine Falstaff, Heidi leads an organisation dedicated to promoting female winemakers. As a result of her work, the number of women working in the Austrian wine industry has increased considerably in recent years.

Heidi took over her family’s 10-hectare estate in 1983, in the famous village of Rust, Burgenland, just five miles from the Hungarian border. Her southeast-facing vineyards are planted along the western banks of Lake Neusiedl, on sandy soils with clay, gravel, grey quartz and schist. They form a semi-amphitheatre, providing considerably more sunlight hours compared to the rest of Austria. Here, Heidi sustainably cultivates the classic Austrian varieties, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St Laurent. She is also pioneering the revival of traditional varieties, such as Furmint which was widely planted before the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

The labels feature the old, green wooden gate from Heidi’s winery, just off the town square and highlight her twin sons’ involvement in the family business since 2019. Johannes and Georg, who honed their winemaking craft outside of Rust, are dedicated to producing great wines inspired by their rich family tradition.