Styrian Wine Country
With its three wine-growing areas of southern Styria, western Styria and Vulkanland, Styrian wine country is not the largest such area in Austria, but it surprises with incomparable specialities. Wine connoisseurs often say that no where else in the world can such fresh, brilliant and therefore elegant types of authentic white wine be grown than in the south of Styria.
In the wine-growing area of western Styria, the Schilcher dominates, which is probably one of the most distinctive terroir wines that exists. Only around 500 hectares are planted with vines, but from this the wine-growers create an impressive variety of products: in addition to the Schilcher, there are also the slightly tannic red wines and elegant sparkling wines. The basis for the wines is the unique grape variety, the Wildbacher grape.
In Sausal and on the Southern Styrian Wine Road, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat now set the tone, whereby the most widespread is still the fresh sparkling Welschriesling, which is especially popular on hot summer days. Southern Styria stands for fragrant fresh wines in one of the most charming landscapes in Europe. Wine-growing on the nearly 2,340 hectares of vineyards, however, is truly hard work, because most of the vineyards are on extremely steep slopes.
In the Vulkanland wine-growing region, in addition to the known wine varieties, the Gewürztraminer dominates, which is known as a real gem among wine connoisseurs. Many small wineries with wonderful locations at the foot of extinct volcanoes characterise the landscape. About 1,400 hectares of vineyards are cultivated, focused in Klöch, St. Anna am Aigen and Straden.
