INTERVIEW WITH A WINEMAKER - Thomas Buchmayer - Weingut Buchmayer

Q. Tell us about yourself, why and when you decided to become a winemaker?

A. Our family has a long tradition in producing wine, to be more precious since 1760 our estate exists. I think my passion started as a kid when I was going with my father in the vineyard and I saw how he enjoyed being in nature and also to create his own product, which reflects his personality. Becoming older it becomes more and more clear, that I also want to keep this tradition.

Q.  If you had to use three words, which will you use to describe your work?

A. Challenges, Creativity, and Nature.
Challenges - Because every year is different, you have different challenges and that’s what I like, the work is never the same and so it´s never getting boring.  
Creativity - You have to be creative to solve problems, which appear during the year.
Nature - because I enjoy the work in Nature.

Q. What’s your biggest fear during the whole vine cycle?

A. That´s definitively the unpredictable weather conditions in the last years. Especially drought was a big problem, but we also have to face hail and frost.

Q. What’s making you happy about your work?

A. I think it´s to be permanent in touch with nature.

Q. Which was the top moment of your career as a winemaker?

A. In the last four years, we went through a long process, that changed our estate a lot. We went from “a normal conventional producing winery” to “a biodynamic producing winery”, which keeps the focus to be in tune with nature. But also to produce white wines, which reflect the character of the terroir. So my top moment was our first biodynamic harvest in 2019.

Q. What’s your vision about organic, biodynamic, and sustainable?

A. To produce organically is for me the basic requirement. Furthermore, to produce biodynamic is for me the highest level of original and distinctive wines.
Living soils and biodiversity form the foundation for our wines.

Q. What do you do to preserve the planet?

A. We are working with a circular economy, which means we spray self-produced teas and plant-extracts, but we also spread fertilizer. We take this effort because we want to foster soil-health and so give our vineyards the best condition to grow.

Q. If you had to use three words, which will you use to describe your wines?

A. Fruity, minerally, and elegant.

Q. Why your wines are different from your direct competitors?

A. Due to our biodynamic cultivation, every wine reflects a certain terroir and so we create wines that are distinctive.

Q. Amongst your wine, which is the one you are most attached to? The one it makes you proud? And Why?

A. That´s definitively our Gelber Traminer natural 2018. It´s my first wine, which is 100% Mash-fermented and without any addition of sulfur.

Q. Which was the highest moment of your career as a winemaker?

A. As I have realized how fast our wines changed, due to the biodynamic cultivation.