The best wines from Südsteiermark in Austria

It is certainly not widely known in our country, but the Austrian wine district of Südsteiermark has an internationally renowned reputation for spicy Sauvignon Blancs and mineral Chardonnays, which they call Morillon here. They can compete with the best examples from France.

In Südsteiermark, the grapes are grown in vineyards on very steep mountain slopes. Mediterranean air from the south ensures cool nights and a long ripening period for the grapes.

It was Duke Johann von Österreich who actively stimulated wine growing in the region at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Wine lovers from all over the world can still be grateful to him for this. Whether it was also his idea to plant Sauvignon Blanc in Südsteiermark is unknown. But it was a golden move anyway, because this grape produces wonderful terroir wines here. This is due to the craftsmanship of the winegrowers, but especially to the special soil with sandstone, slate, marl and loam.

The winemakers in the region are trained at the Siberberg oenology school. A progressive wine institute where students are trained at a high level in all facets of wine making. They enthusiastically apply their knowledge in their own vineyards. Incidentally, their arsenal is much broader than Sauvignon Blanc; Welschriesling, Gelber Muskateller, Traminer and last but not least Morillon (Chardonnay) are also planted. The latter is usually made in Styria without wood maturation. The philosophy is that wood maturation would undermine the fruity character of the wine.

Junker, Klassik and Lagen

The winemakers from Südburgenland usually give an indication on the label of the type of wine you can expect. Junker stands for young, fruity wine made from the first grapes of the new harvest. If Klassik is on the label, you have an aromatic wine in your hands that expresses the character of the grape used as naturally as possible. Finally, Lagen is the showpiece of the winemaker, made from the best grapes from his most beautiful vineyard. These wines can often be stored for longer.