PHILOSOPHY | Winery Thomas Niedermayr South Tyrol

2026

NEW OPENING

Our farm restaurant is opening soon! We can barely wait to present our wines to you right here on the farm with the matching culinary delights.

LET ME KNOW!

HOW & WHY?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing: we want to create wines we feel deeply connected to – wines we can stand behind 100%. Three things are essential to this: nature, time, and craftsmanship.

Nature gives us everything we need – if we accept it as it is. That requires time: our task is to deeply understand natural processes, to guide them with care, and to intervene only when necessary.
Craftsmanship is the art of changing as little as possible and allowing the wine to develop its character in its own time.

And in the end, it’s the people we share this journey with who make every experience on the farm and in the vineyard all the more special.

NATURE

The foundation for working in harmony with nature is truly understanding it. To create a quality product from nature requires care and attention. We don’t just follow nature blindly and hope for the best. We know our soil, our surroundings, and the challenges we face. This allows us to step in with purpose and precision – without ever losing sight of the value of the original product.

TIME

Time moves forward relentlessly, guiding us from a past we can study into an open, unknown future. Patience is key to discovering what that future holds. Our drive to constantly improve helps us make sense of the past. That’s why we give ourselves the time we need – in the vineyard, in the cellar, and in learning. Our wines don’t follow trends, because only time allows us to understand nature and share the best it has to offer with others.

CRAFTMANSHIP

For some, craftsmanship is a learned profession; for others, it’s a passion. For us, it’s both. Since the mid-1980s, our passion for viticulture has inspired us to take new paths. Our goal: quality winemaking that suits our climatic conditions while keeping our impact on nature to an absolute minimum. This journey led us to PIWI grape varieties, which today allow us to create pure, precise wines – built to stand the test of time.

CHANGE WITHOUT RUSH

For us, progress doesn't mean chasing trends. True change takes time, understanding, and a deep sense for what truly lasts. Our vineyards are living ecosystems – and diversity is key.

Through “vitiforestry,” we integrate perennial woody plants into our vineyards, rely on mixed crops between the vine rows, and create a stable, natural balance with free-ranging animals like runner ducks and chickens. This not only shapes a vibrant landscape but also fosters a healthy flora and fauna. Our approach isn’t about rapid change, but steady evolution – sustainable, thoughtful, and in harmony with nature.

TERROIR & CLIMATE

Our wines grow in a place where natural history is still tangible. Within a small area, volcanic, marine, and glacial forces have shaped the land. Our soils – from volcanic porphyry to calcareous dolomite – tell the story of this dynamic past. The interplay of altitude, cool mountain winds, and Mediterranean warmth defines both our landscape and the unique character of our wines.

ORIGIN IN DETAIL

HISTORY

Traces of over 300 million years of Earth’s history bear witness to the diverse development of our landscape. Volcanoes, South Sea reefs, and the immense forces of Alpine orogeny shaped what is now South Tyrol. Most recently, the Ice Age left its mark: glaciers carved out the valleys and laid the foundation for our soils we cultivate today.

CONTRASTS

South Tyrol is defined by striking contrasts. Within a very small area, vastly different types of rock converge. The African and European tectonic plates collide, the Alps fold, and volcanic activity 280 million years ago gave rise to the Bolzano porphyry plateau. Through pressure, heat, and erosion, a landscape of remarkable geological diversity emerged.

ICE AGE

The region was repeatedly flooded by seas. Sedimentary rocks were formed, water carved valleys, and around 250 million years ago, the Dolomites emerged as a fossil reef mountain range. During the last Ice Age, about 13,000 years ago, the Adige Valley glacier pushed its way into the Überetsch area, leaving a lasting imprint on the landscape.

SOIL

Our soils range from volcanic porphyry at the foot of the Gandberg to deep, calcareous loam rich in dolomite. This geological diversity forms the foundation for the individuality of our wines.

ALTITUDES

Our vineyard parcels lie between 270 and 650 meters above sea level. Each altitude brings its own tension, freshness, and character to our wines.

CLIMATE

Our climate combines two worlds: Mediterranean warmth from the south and alpine coolness carried by downhill winds from the Mendel mountains. The Alps protect us from the north – this contrast shapes both ripeness and freshness of our wines.

THE “ICE HOLES”

A unique microclimate arises from the “Eislöcher” (ice holes) at the foot of the Gandberg. Cold air flows through rock crevices and drifts into our vineyards, bringing cool nights even in the height of summer. These natural downdrafts give our wines their signature freshness and elegance.

HOF GANDBERG

Hof Gandberg is our home and main vineyard. The vines grow at 500 to 550 meters. The ice holes and the mighty Gandberg shape the microclimate. Even in summer, cool air flows through the vineyards – giving our wines freshness and elegance.

ALGUND

In Algund, at the foot of the Texel Group mountains, we cultivate a steep site on on sandy soils of silvery-grey gneiss schist. Demanding, yet it produces powerful, elegant wines with striking minerality and freshness.

PICHL - ST. PAULS

The vineyard in Pichl lies on a rounded hill with 360° exposure. Shaped by glaciers, the soil is a mix of many rocks. A walnut tree watches over the vines – wines of depth and complexity grow here.

OUR GRAPE VARIETIES

Our grape varieties are the result of over 30 years of experience and conviction.
As early as the 1990s, we made a consistent shift to PIWI varieties – a decision driven not only by ecological responsibility, but also by a strong belief in quality and sustainability.

Today, three varieties shape our work: Solaris, Bronner and Souvignier gris. They thrive in our soils and are key to our forward-thinking approach of viticulture.
PIWI grapes allow us to almost entirely avoid pesticides and to reduce the use of heavy machinery to a minimum - protecting biodiversity, soil vitality, and our health.

They also allow us to express our terroir purely – straightforward, unadulterated, and shaped by the landscape in which they grow.

THINKING OF TOMORROW TODAY

IN-HOUSE

BREEDING

At Niedermayr, we do things from start to finish – literally. The vines in our experimental garden are our own selections and crosses, bred from seeds of our own plants. That’s the only way we’ve been able to respond to the specifics of each microclimate and site since the early 2000s.

Since 2005, Rudi has been dedicated to breeding new PIWI varieties. It’s a long and careful process. It’s a meticulous process that requires patience, time, and precision: before the grape flowers open, he carefully removes the stamens with tweezers to prevent self-pollination. The flower is then pollinated with pollen from the chosen father vine and enclosed in a small bag during flowering to avoid cross-pollination.

Each resulting grape seed carries new, unique genetics. Whether the new vine is disease-resistant becomes apparent early on – but whether it meets our quality expectations only becomes clear over time. Developing a new variety takes at least ten to fifteen years. We pursue this work with intention – because only in this way can we create grape varieties that truly suit our soils, our climate, and our philosophy. Always with the future in mind.

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