Weingut Hareter is a fourth-generation 15ha family estate on Lake Neusiedl, near the Austria/Hungary border. It’s been a slow and steady progression towards a focused winemaking operation- Elisabeth and Andrea Hareter focused mostly on agriculture and dabbled in winemaking, followed by Matthias and Gerda, who operated with a true combination of both, and now Claudia and Thomas, who are focused solely on winemaking. Thomas attended viticulture school and graduated in 1996, moving the estate’s farming to fully organic a decade later, certified as of 2009, the same year Claudia joined.

The primary quality of the family, passed on from generation to generation, is independent thinking, resulting in the shifting focus of the farm. Hareter embodies this ethos, throwing away aspects of his traditional education in favor of natural winemaking. In addition to converting the vineyard to organic, Hareter uses homemade compost and teas for fertilizing and foregoes irrigation- keeping the vineyard green to encourage biodiversity, and limits sulfur and fining in the bottle.

Weingut Hareter grows a bunch of grapes. Their entry Blaufrankisch is great, an everyday wine we recommend regularly- lots of fruit, body, grip, acidity, and plenty of fun.
Their Chardonnay Ohne – Ohne meaning ‘without’ in reference to being completely sulfur free- is “where Chardonnay forgets its good manners” says Hareter – it’s a friendly, lively, aromatic springtime orange sipper.
Hay, rich ripe apples & pears with deeper notes of calvados and cognac make it lovely for long sipping. Dry and clean, but holding on to that fleshiness of chardonnay, and just grippy enough to balance out its refreshing acidity- it’s a wonderful companion for being outside again as the world starts to bloom.