The winery is located in the municipality of Frauenkirchen in the Burgenland wine-growing region of Neusiedlersee (Austria). The family, which comes from Franconia, has been making wine since 1755, when their ancestors immigrated to what is now Burgenland. Josef "Pepi" Umathum has been considered a cult figure, doyen and winemaker philosopher within the Austrian wine scene for more than twenty years. The vineyards cover 40 hectares of vines in three locations. The majority is located to the west and northwest of Frauenkirchen with the Hallebühl, Haideboden, Kirschgarten and Vom Stein vineyards, where the red wines grow. Further areas are located in Neusiedl am See and in the municipality of Jois from former property of the count on the other shore of Lake Neusiedl. The latter are up to 70% steeply terraced slopes in the Junger Berg and Hackelsberg vineyards, which lay fallow for a long time and were reactivated in painstaking work.
For generations, quality-oriented selection and propagation of the estate's own vines has been carried out. Since 1997, in cooperation with the biochemist DI Helmut Gangl from the Federal Office of Viticulture in Eisenstadt, a targeted and elaborate selection of mother vines (e.g. loose grapes with small, hard-skinned berries) has been carried out, which are then selected according to further criteria such as resistance to pests and frost, and from which only the very best vines are vegetatively propagated. The red wine varieties Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch (main varieties), Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are cultivated to 85%, and the white wine varieties Welschriesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Traminer and Chardonnay to 15%. As a speciality, the Lindblättriger (Hárslevelű) variety was revived by the winery in Burgenland.
Biodynamic viticulture is practised, which is based on the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. The highest goal is to process only ripe and healthy grapes. Harvesting is done exclusively by hand. The wine is matured mainly in large wooden barrels made of Austrian oak. The single-vineyard wines mature in small oak barrels and are only marketed after a three-year storage period. The premium wines include, for example, the red wine cuvée Haideboden (Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Cabernet Sauvignon), Blaufränkisch Kirschgarten, Zweigelt Hallebühl and Pinot Noir Unter den Terrassen. Fine brandies and vinegar are also produced. The winery is a member of the winegrowers' association Renommierte Weingüter Burgenland. As a special initiative, the winery promotes young talents from the agricultural sector.
