Meet Hof Gandberg | Thomas Niedermayr
The Niedermayr family is deeply rooted in the small village of Eppan, a few kilometres outside of Bolzano in the heart of Alto-Adige. Viticulture has been passed on for generations, but the family also owns and farms traditional apple orchards, and integrates a multitude of animals into their everyday agriculture. The minute you step out of the car and arrive, you really feel a special energy surrounding Hof Gandberg – you can see eagles coming down the majestic Gandberg mountain and further into the Alps. To this day, Alto-Adige is dominated by large cooperative structures that have shaped the common idea of what people associate with wine for decades. Just like their close friends, Martin and Marion Gojer, Thomas and Marlene made wine outside / on the edge of what is deemed appellation wine – leaving them the freedom to interpret their wines without constraints.
Organic viticulture has been passed down from Thomas’ father, who was a pioneer in an otherwise stubborn and conservative region. For Thomas and his wife Marlene, this meant that they were really able to take advantage of the foundation that Rudolf laid, while taking the next step in the evolution of the vineyard and cellar. For the first shipment, we are excited to share to one-off bottlings that we fell in love with when tasting with them in the cellar last year, and again, this year in Spring. The Niedermayrs work with small parcels in the different parts of the village and its surroundings, which yield deeply contrasting styles in the cellar. Paschwai (an old Romansh name for this plot) is a fierce white wine with zing and poise – like breathing the ice cold air on a clear winter day on top of the Dolomites. In contrast, the plot ‘Amurasca” yields a sun-kissed textured white wine that really encapsulates the warmth and beauty of the region on a hot Summer’s day
