South Styria

We stopped over in South Styria for a few days on our recent trip to the Slovenian wine country. Wish now that we had spent more time there. Steep rounded hills plunge into narrow valleys all around and are covered with vines. The winemakers we met were predominantly young and enthusiastic about their work. Hannes Sabathi took over the family operation http://www.sabathi-weine.at/fhs/template_sabathi.php?ID=22&nLID=4&bereich=2 at the ripe old age of 19. Now all of 28 he is turning out superb wines. His Gelber Muscateller and Sauvignon Blanc are especially fine, and not too hard on Americans pushing around their wheel barrels full of depreciated dollars. The winery is at the top of a narrow twisting road typical of many in the region. We were thankful to be driving before tour bus season.

Matthias List, another young winemaker, is in the process of taking over his family’s winery (that’s him in the picture sitting with the pretty lasses http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p31864?uni_id=115789). Matthias and several winemaker friends went to Washington and Oregon recently to check out the winemaking scene. He laughed about the low airfare (we winced). We tasted about a dozen of his wines. All were high quality with the Zweigelt, Morillon (Chardonnay), Graubergunder (Pinot Gris) and Sauvignon Blanc standing out especially.

Both these winemakers and others we spoke with believe that Sauvignon Blanc is destined to become the signature wine of South Styria. They are excited about the World Sauvignon Blanc conference being held in Graz later this year http://www.worldsauvignon.com/show_content.php?sid=63.

A welcome surprise was the Styrian Buschenschanken. These are farm wineries offering cold food and wine, both of which are required to be produced on premises. Typically, you are served a platter of cold cuts and cheeses with your glass of wine for 5 or 6 euros or so. It makes for a nice inexpensive lunch.

don't know List, but you can kick it far more interesting in South Styria ... on both sides of the non existing border. if you still around and interested... ring me.

Tomask wrote

don't know List, but you can kick it far more interesting in South Styria ... on both sides of the non existing border. if you still around and interested... ring me.

Sorry to have missed you. Had just 2 1/2 days. What places would you suggest on both sides of the border? Other WLDGers might be interested to know.

No problemo.
As I'm a indoctrinated fan of the more artisanal wine making and dislike the tekkno wine making style that had spread all over South Styria (Austria), I would suggest only a hand picked group of wine makers, in no particular order.

Andreas Tscheppe (Glanz)

http://www.at-weine.at/

his brother Ewald, Weingut Werlitsch (Glanz)

http://www.werlitsch.at/index.php

Sepp Muster (Leutschach)

http://www.weingutmuster.com/

Karl Schnabel (Kitzeck)

http://www.karl-schnabel.at/

Weingut Strohmeier

http://www.strohmeier.at/

In Slovenian part of Styria (Stajerska Slovenija) I recommend these small wineries.

Vinogradnistvo Kuster (Svecina)

http://www.vino-kuster.com/

Dveri Pax (Jarenina)

http://www.dveri-pax.com/

Vinogradnistvo Sumenjak

http://www.sumenjak.si/

Vinogradnistvo Krajnc (Lahonci, near Jeruzalem)

http://www.vinokrajnc.com/

Vino Kupljen (Jeruzalem-Svetinje)

http://www.vino-k.de/Eng/index-en.htm

etc.

In Maribor there is a splendid restaurant/winebar with the biggest selection of Slovenian wine in Slovenia

http://www.rozmarin.si

Note that both Sepp & Maria Muster and Ewald Tscheppe (Werlitsch estate) are biodynamic. The latter does not bottle the usual line-up of varietal wines, but makes only three blends, numbered I, II, and III.