Seegut Lentsch

From great-grandfather to brother duo: family history at Lake Neusiedl

The roots of Seegut Lentsch go deeper than its official founding year: the passion for viticulture began in the family even before 1955, when the business was formally registered as a family winery. The decisive foundation for today's operation was laid by Franz Lentsch Senior, who had a 30-meter-long brick vaulted cellar built in 1962 — still the largest of its kind in Podersdorf am See today. His sons and grandsons have carried on the legacy: today, brothers Thomas and Markus Lentsch run the winery in the third generation, with a clear focus on quality and, at the same time, on what the location has always had to offer.

Podersdorf is not just any location. Viticulture in the Ried Rohrjoch — now the winery's largest site with 5.7 hectares — is documented as early as 1782 to 1785, when Cistercian monks cultivated Pinot Gris here. This historical depth can also be felt in the Ried Lüss, which was planted in 1974 and whose grapes produced the winery's first barrique wine over three decades ago.

Natural work on sand, gravel, and saline soils

Seegut Lentsch manages 15.3 hectares of vineyards, divided into five sites in Podersdorf am See: Seeweingärten, Prädium, Rohrjoch, Lüss, and Römerstein. The soil diversity is remarkable — from light, sandy gravel soils in the Ried Prädium to saline calcareous chernozem directly on the lakeshore in the Seeweingärten. Salt pans and the saline soils typical of the Seewinkel region run through the entire growing area, leaving a mineral signature in the wines.

The Pannonian-continental climate does the rest: hot summers, cold winters, distinct day-night temperature fluctuations — and the lake itself as a natural temperature buffer that dampens extreme heat and brings cool nights to the vineyards. Lentsch works according to the principle of natural viticulture, without formal certification, but with consistent respect for the ecosystem of this unique lake landscape.

Three lines, 14 grape varieties, one clear style

The Seegut Lentsch range is divided into three lines — Klassik, Reserve, and Single Vineyard — and includes 14 grape varieties. In white wine, the focus is on the Burgundy varieties: Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay are the leading varieties, supplemented by Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, and aromatic varieties such as Muskat Ottonel and Blütenmuskateller. For red wines, the family relies on Austrian classics — Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and Saint Laurent — as well as Cabernet Franc, which is also vinified as an independent rosé.

The spectrum ranges from the fresh and fruity Klassik wine, aged in steel tanks or large wooden barrels, to the cellar-worthy single-vineyard wine with distinct varietal character. Those who want to get to know the wines from Lentsch should start with the Pinot Gris Ried Rohrjoch — the variety with the longest history at the estate — and then work their way up to the Reserve wines, which show what aging and wood maturation can bring out of this special terroir.