Styria is undoubtedly one of the most important growing regions for first-class Sauvignon. It is not only a matter of cultivation area and quality per se, but above all of identity-forming character. This is all the more true when you have chosen a variety as your calling card that enjoys great international popularity and is one of the most cultivated white quality grape varieties worldwide.
One must therefore pay a great compliment to the winegrowers of Styria: Regardless of the diversity of taste and style that wine can achieve here, in most cases you will be on the right track relatively quickly, even blind, when you have a good Styrian Sauvignon in your glass. The wines are usually somewhat more aromatic and also a little warmer in character than their counterparts from the Loire. The green aroma components originating from the pyrazines, on the other hand, are usually more pronounced than in the wines from South Tyrol, for example, which often appear even warmer and more "yellow-fruited" and whose herbal aromas are more often reminiscent of mountain herbs. Blackberry hints can also be found in Styrian Sauvignons, but the distinctly woody character that many Sauvignons from other regions have is usually not found here.
So there is a common thread of origin that unites the wines and makes them identifiable. In addition to the inimitable character, there is of course also the quality: highly reliable across the board, undoubtedly world class at the top. You can hardly achieve more as a wine region.
We have tasted around 130 wines in the past weeks for this In Focus, of which we present the best here. Links to all wines with detailed descriptions as well as their producers can be found at the end of each of the best lists.