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It all started at ProWein 2000 - Schnapps idea is what you would normally call it. Or would it be better to call it a wine idea? Anyway, it was there that the decision was made to visit southern Styria for a week in the summer with a few similarly crazy wine friends.

Thanks to the expert preparation of the tour by the Austria and Southern Styria specialist Knalli (Helmuth O. Knall) and the local winemaker Arnold Melcher, the programme consisted of pretty much the best that Southern Styria has to offer.

Three wineries each day, each with a detailed guided tour and tasting, and the whole culinary variety from Brettljause to various Buschenschänken to award-winning fine cuisine was represented in the programme.

Even the journey via Graz gave an idea of the scenery we were in for: a varied Alpine landscape with fantastic panoramic views and vineyards everywhere. We stayed overnight in the "wine centre" of southern Styria, in Gamlitz.

The Styrian wines

Southern Styria has a range of grape varieties in which red wines are of practically no importance. Everyone has the "must" Zweigelt in their range, but it is the white wines that are really noteworthy. Welschriesling; mass-produced wine that rarely produces more than somewhat acidic everyday wines and has nothing to do with our Riesling; Gelber Muskateller at its finest and Sauvignon Blanc, which can produce fantastic results here in southern Styria, are the most common grape varieties.

These are followed by Pinot Blanc, Morillon (the South Styrian name for Chardonnay) and the various Traminers.

The wines are mostly single-varietal. The spectrum ranges from a fruity and reductive style (usually called "Klassik-Linie" or "Steierische Klassik") to an oxidative, more complex style from the large or small wood. The latter (barrique) is mostly used discreetly; especially with the Burgundy varieties, however, it is also clearly used up to very barrique-accentuated white wines. The probably unavoidable, overgrown Chardonay in the international style is also represented.

Arnold Melcher

The producer who clearly came up short during our visit was our host Arnold Melcher. We tried all of his wines, including several barrel samples, but on the first evening after our arrival, most of us felt more like drinking than tasting. We were probably all still captivated by the beautiful landscape and the wonderful atmosphere in the courtyard of the castle where Arnold Melcher has his winery.

We all would have liked to taste his wines, all of which deserve attention, again in peace; unfortunately, the tight schedule did not allow for that during the week.

However, one experience with a Melcher wine still has to be written down here. On Wednesday evening, Arnold blindly took a bottle out of the cellar to ask us the inevitable "What is this? I shamefacedly withheld our answers. We had all guessed a more or less young wine. It was a Muskateller from 1976! Wow! We then had a similar fate with a Sauvignon Blanc from 1979.

www.melcher.at

Tuesday: Manfred Tement, Berghausen

We started our tour on Tuesday with the most famous and renowned vintner in Southern Styria. What we saw left us speechless. The winery is currently undergoing a constructional change of gigantic proportions. We visited a construction site where a winery is being built, characterised by glass fronts, the finest building materials, a cellar with a tank capacity of 1/2 million litres; in the middle of a breathtakingly beautiful landscape directly on the border to Slovenia. This farm is probably not designed to "only" process the 35 hectares that Manfred Tement currently cultivates.

We were allowed to taste his wines in the barrique cellar. All of them were rather oxidatively matured wines of an extraordinarily high quality. His already bottled wines were topped by barrel samples; at the very top the Sauvignon Blanc from Zieregg 2000 Reserve.

Homepage: www.tement.at

Erich and Walter Polz

If we still thought at Tement that the building site was the exception among Styrian winegrowers, then we realised at Walter Polz that we are in an area where EU subsidies have triggered a strong boom in new construction and modernisation work. Wine from 50 hectares of vineyards is being produced in the new building, which is almost completed here and is already in full use.

The wines were convincing; although they did not have an easy time against the previously tasted wines from Walter Tement. Like most producers, Polz offers wines in two lines: The reductively fruity Klassik line and the more wood-influenced line of single vineyards.

Here we also got to taste something that is rather an exception in Southern Styria: a Trockenbeerenauslese (barrel tasting) from Sauvignon and Morillon.

Wilfried Schilhan, Gamlitz - The Elvis from Jägerberg

As a contrast to Tement and Polz, we got to know a winegrower who bought the winery only a few years ago as a lateral entrant and has been cultivating it in a quality-conscious way ever since. Finally, no construction site; although here, too, the decisive renovation measures were carried out only a short time ago.

Wilfried Schilhan has his winery at the top of one of Gamlitz's top vineyards, the Jägerberg. We tasted his wines outside - with a great view of the valley. We listened to Elvis Presley music from inside a rehearsal room. Inside, a man-sized Elvis doll, guitars on the walls. It was clear that a freak was working here. Logically, the first thing we did in the wine cellar was not to reach for the light switch but for the CD player with... Well, what do you think? It is clear that he has lost his name in the neighbourhood: "The Elvis from Jägerberg".

His wines were mixed. The simple qualities were really simple; but with the high qualities, which unfortunately could only be tasted from the barrel, he shows which direction he wants to go: top wines that do not have to fear a comparison with other top winemakers.

The subsequent Brettljause in front of his house at sunset gave the three visits on Tuesday a wonderful rounding off.


www.weingut-schilhan.at

Wednesday: Amandus Adam, Leutschach

Wednesday again started with a producer who was more of an insider tip than an established quality producer. He was almost the only producer where the wines presented were still available for purchase. Finally, no tasting through "sold out" lists.

With 6 hectares, this is quite a small winery. We didn't see the cellar; with the relatively small residential and operational building, it's hard to imagine that a "showcase cellar" could be hidden here. We tasted outside in the garden, surrounded by vineyards.

His wines were all classic in the Styrian sense, i.e. reductively vinified. I didn't ask; but I suspect the winery is all stainless steel with no large or small wood. The wines were sparkling clean and of good quality. For the first time here in the garden, we had the idea of choosing a monthly wine during the tour.

The prices must also be mentioned at Adam's: All wines in a price range mostly well below 10 euros. The price-performance ratio is certainly exceptional!

Alois and Ulrike Gross,

We arrive and find ourselves in the middle of a - well, what else? - building site. So they are building here too. The farm is currently moving from the village to a completely new building at the top of its prime location, the Nußberg.

Alois Gross cultivates 22 hectares of his own vineyards; in addition, like most producers in this country, he buys in the same amount.

He also offers two lines; the classic line and the single vineyards, which are aged up to 100% in barriques.

The wines here are all extremely impressive. Particularly noteworthy is a Gelber Muskateller (which we have chosen as our wine of the month) and the Weißburgunder vom Kittenberg.

www.gross.at

Sattlerhof

The Sattlerhof was our only disappointment of our tour. Was it because the owner himself was not there and we were "dispatched" by a lady from the sales department? Was it because the best wines had long been sold out and could not be tasted? Or was it because of the high expectations we had due to the high level of awareness and reputation of the Sattlerhof?

In any case, the wines presented did not convince us and were completely unacceptable in terms of price/performance ratio.

Before that, we also visited the building site. The Sattlerhof is also currently building a new cellar and a new company building.

Our impression was mixed in the Sattlerhof next door, which is run by the same owner and where we had our evening meal. Good cuisine, somewhat overworked staff and unfortunately only very young wines. We had just learned during the tasting that the wines from the Sattlerhof "should be matured for at least two to three years"; why is this tip not taken into account in the restaurant?

However - thanks to Gerhard Präsent and Artur Krüger, who brought a few nice drops to accompany the meal, this evening also became a real wine experience.

Thursday: Hannes Sabathi, Gamlitz

Here we did not visit a construction site or a new building. On the contrary, the cellars were simple and plain on the outside. However, this was not true of the furnishings. Hannes Sabathi, the still very young son of the family who has taken over the wine business since 1997, wants to use a process here for the first time, starting with the coming vintage, which we have discussed a lot in the group: The fermentation is not to be controlled indirectly via the temperature, but the fermentation is to be measured directly on the basis of the output of CO2 and controlled on the basis of the temperature. So it is not the temperature that is kept stable here, but the fermentation process.

But wines from the 2000 vintage that were vinified using conventional techniques have also been very convincing. The classic wines are all expressive and primarily fruity; the single vineyards reductive, diverse and powerful. We chose the Welchriesling as our wine of the month. Not because it was the best of the Welschrieslings tasted on our tour. Others were better for our palates, but just not typical. Hannes Sabathi's Welsch is a sparkling, fruity but also slightly acidic Welchriesling.

The snack that followed should not go unmentioned: a roasted trout that beats anything I have ever tasted before and a salad with pumpkin seed oil. No one should miss out on this speciality from southern Styria and make sure to include it in their luggage for the return journey. This oil conjures up a wonderful aroma from salads that is second to none.

www.sabathi-weine.at

Jöbstl family, Wernersdorf

We "cheated" twice. Firstly, Jöbst is not in "our" southern Styria but in western Styria. Secondly, the focus here was on brandies instead of wine. A visit to the museum led by Walter Jöbstl first gave us an impression of how fires are made. We were able to look at a few old apparatuses, most of them probably in use at some time or other in order to cheat the town of Statt by moonshining.

In the attractively furnished shop with brandies, Schilcher wines and other regional specialities, the distillery used today is located in the back. I admit: I have never been fascinated by brandies and that hasn't changed here either. But it was interesting to sniff out the different aromas from the samples provided. You simply had to have seen it.

More exciting for me was the previous tasting of THE speciality in the region: Schilcher. Schilcher is a rose wine from the Blauer Wildbacher grape. In the region, it is often drunk spiked and is a good accompaniment to warm summer evenings on the terrace. The more acidic they are, the more typical they are of the region. In this sense, Jöbstl's Schilcher was fortunately atypical.

We couldn't resist choosing a Schilcher from Jöbstl as our wine of the month. You simply have to try that, too.

www.joebstl.st

Villa Hollerbrand, Leibnitz

It's hard for me to describe the Villa Hollerbrand. A mixture of winery, restaurant, trendy pub and bar.

The cellar - somehow untidy. The wine tasting - somehow chaotic. The wines - difficult to understand; at least the simple qualities all seemed to me to be carried by the carbonic acid. On second tasting hours later, I liked them better. Right away I liked many single vineyards.

But - all very endearing and with an indescribable cosiness. We had dinner out there and tasted and drank many more wines over and over again. And I can't remember most of them and it was just too cosy to write....

Friday: Wolfgang Maitz, Ehrenhausen

This winery is idyllically situated on a vineyard. In front of the house is a typical southern Styrian Klapotetz, a windmill-like device that - when released - makes a hell of a racket that is supposed to chase away the birds.

The cellar - also under renovation - makes a neat and tidy impression.

The wine tasting in the beautifully furnished Buschenschank was impressive. A range of strong, solid wines was presented, all of which were of high quality.

www.maitz.co.at

Alois Gölles, Riegersburg

The Gölles family has been running a fruit farm for several generations. The son Alois Gölles has intensified his efforts to process the fruit into vinegar and brandy. In the meantime, Gölles has become one of the leading vinegar producers in Austria and is known far beyond the borders of Austria.

The walk through the vinegar warehouse (picture) and the subsequent vinegar tasting was most interesting. Unfortunately, we could not visit the actual vinegar production. This is strictly hidden from the eyes of the interested public. Too many of the company's own ideas are realised there to release them freely, said Alois Gölles during the tour.

In addition to vinegar, fruit brandies are also produced at a high quality level. These are made from the company's own fruit production and from purchased fruit from the region. These could also be tasted.

www.goelles.at

Neumeister, Straden

When we talked about him later, he was always referred to as the "inventor". Indeed, Albert Neumeister impressed us with many innovative ideas, which he presented with passion during the tour. For example, a rack that makes it very easy to draw off the barrels, with height-adjustable suction nozzles and an inspection tube in which you can see whether yeast is being drawn along in order to finish the drawing off in time.

Or the company building on the slope, which is architecturally very cleverly integrated into the landscape. In autumn, for example, a flexible roof is added to the grape reception area; outside of this time, you really have to look closely to see that the beautifully designed entrance area is the grape reception area. The rest of the winery is designed in such a way that gravity can be used to a large extent; from the grape reception to the press to the cellar, it always goes downwards so that the use of pumps can be largely dispensed with.

This building was also erected only two years ago; from the outside, the inner size cannot be guessed. Yes, and "inner size" also has its wines. Next to a partition wall consisting of about 4,000 bottles, we taste a range of very high quality wines, characterised by a high maceration time and a broad oxidative style designed for a long shelf life.

Ultimately, his wines are also similarly "styled" as his building. Soft, well-made wines without "rough edges" on a very high quality level.

www.neumeister.cc

Sazianistuben and afterwards

The Sazianistuben, which Neumeister organises and manages just as perfectly as the Weinwirtschaft, grew out of a quality wine tavern. Our dinner there was the culinary highlight of our trip. Cuisine, service, furnishings. Simply perfect.

Afterwards, on the way back, four of us made a "short stop" in Ehrenhausen at the Neubauer. At first glance, a very normal pub. At second glance, behind the bar, a battery of open wines, where even I, as a wine drinker with no experience of Austria, quickly realised that some of Austria's best producers and their products were being served openly here. When I looked at the "rarities menu", it became clear that pure wine enjoyment was to be expected here. The evening also became very long and humid...

Our cork balance of this evening must not go unmentioned. Already in the Sazianistuben we had to return five wines because of cork defects. At the Neubauer, too, we had to complain about two corked bottles. Is this really necessary? When will the world finally become sensible and do without this completely unsuitable wine bottle closure made of natural cork?

Saturday: Potzinger, Ratsch

Well, the chronicler has to admit that he slept through this part of the programme. Somehow yesterday at Neubauer's was a bit long...

South Styrian Panorama Road and Moserwirt

On the way to Erwin Sabathi, our taxi took a diversion. The route took us along the South Styrian Panorama Road - a breathtakingly beautiful route with endless panoramas and beautiful landscapes. A must for anyone in the area!

There was a short stopover at the Moserwirt and his farm shop. Here you can buy everything that nature has to offer up here. Pumpkin seed oil, roasted pumpkin seeds, brandies from their own distillery made from their own fruit, honey from their own apiary and soon: wine from the highest vineyard in Austria. M. Moser has just received permission for a vineyard at an altitude of 600 metres.

Erwin Sabathi, Pössnitz

With Erwin Sabathi we again visited one of the well-known producers of Southern Styria. No wonder that his wines were practically completely sold out. Erwin Sabathi cultivates 10 ha and buys grapes for another 10 ha.

If I were to hold a seminar on the grape varieties of southern Styria, I would use Erwin Sabathi's wines. They are all very varietal wines, from the classic line to the single-vineyard wines.

www.sabathi.com

Walter Skoff, Gamlitz

The newly built winery shines with everything that is beautiful. From an elaborately designed vestibule with a tasting counter, you descend into the wine cellar. Even the descent into the cellar is worth seeing. This is no cellar staircase, this is an architectural masterpiece, with discreet lighting and niches in which works of art are displayed. Once downstairs, you find yourself in the barrel cellar. It's hard to believe that work is going on here. For a moment you suspect that the real cellar is hidden somewhere in another building and that this cellar has only one purpose: to impress visitors. A cellar really worth seeing!

We continue through the stainless steel cellar and then pass a device without comment that I can't place. Instead of saying a word about this device, Walter Skoff shows us the bottling plant. He has invested 3 million shillings in the bottling plant alone. One can only imagine the sums that have been invested in the entire operation. In any case, the sums must be staggering. Asked whether this investment is worthwhile, Walter Skoff only answered with a counter-question: "What is money? What does it mean to be worthwhile? I want perfection and if I set my mind to it, I will see it through.

He wouldn't have come to this subject on his own, but when asked about it, we went back to this peculiar device that we had passed before without comment: The concentrator!

Yes, Walter Skoff uses a concentrator; he is the first winemaker in Southern Styria to do so. Not to make bad wines better, as he says, but to be independent of rain showers during the harvest, for example.

The subsequent tasting did not convince me. Most of the wines were very fruity; almost obtrusively fruity. But that is surely a matter of taste. As the only producer visited, he does not distinguish between a classic line and single vineyards. He does not use any vineyards and only distinguishes certain wines according to the Classique, Edition and Royal levels. The prices were set at the upper limit, so I personally would not pay that money for them. However, his wines were practically sold out. Only the Pinot Blanc was still available.

By the way: What you have to see is Walter Skoff's perfect advertising material. As he said about himself: "I want perfection and when I set my mind to it, I follow through".

www.weingut-skoff.com

A word about the people

People are also what make a region. We experienced hosts at accommodation establishments, at meals, at producers and even taxi drivers who impressed us with their natural friendliness and uncomplicated manner, which had a distinctly southern character.

Particularly striking, and certainly one of the reasons for the high wine quality in this region, is the close and good cooperation between the producers in southern Styria. Casual meetings, exchange of experience and friendly cooperation between the winegrowers of the region seem to be a matter of course.

Summary

I have come to know and love this region. Nature, people and wines have captivated me. I will definitely return here soon to get to know it a little better with a little more time and peace.

More information about Southern Styria:

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