Wine from Styria

Styria makes the international breakthrough

What has long been an insider’s tip among connoisseurs is currently celebrating great success in the most important trade journals worldwide as well as at seminars and tastings. We are talking about Austrian wine from Styria in the south-east of the country.

Picturesque location

Small, but mighty: next to the federal states of Lower Austria (28,145 ha) and Burgenland (13,100 ha), Styria looks comparatively modest with its 4,633 ha of cultivated land. The first thing that strikes you when you visit the three Styrian wine-growing regions is the picturesque location.

Vulkanland, Southern Styria and Western Styria – all of which have been awarded DAC status since 2018 – are nestled in an idyllic landscape with rolling hills, winding roads and rustic wine taverns that invite you to linger and enjoy. You could be forgiven for thinking that time has stood still here.

Rapid and dynamic development

However, the enormous development that the wine industry has undergone here in recent years speaks against this. The driving force behind this is above all highly motivated and excellently trained winegrowers of the younger generation, who create typical and unmistakable wine styles from the grapes grown, which should not be missing from any wine list.

Be it Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay (known as Morillon in Styria) or the unique Schilcher – what all wines have in common is that the quality has never been as high as it is today.

The experts have pricked up their ears

Word of the quality leaps has also spread among international wine experts and is being recognized accordingly. In mid-October 2019, for example, a detailed article appeared in the“Wine Spectator“, in which the author Aleks Zecevic described the Styrian wine-growing region as“Austria’s hidden gem” and emphasized both the astonishing increase in quality and the singularity of Styrian wines.

At the same time, the“Steiermark Masterclass” took place in New York, an event organized by Österreich Wein Marketing GmbH (ÖWM), which attracted a full house of 65 participants. The three Michelin-starred restaurant “Le Bernardin” was the venue for a meeting of the most important players from the trade, gastronomy and trade press, who were subsequently very impressed by the Styrian wines presented there.

Just two weeks later, it was once again the“Wine Spectator” that gave the winegrowers from Styria cause for great joy. Of a total of 214 wines tasted, 154 were awarded at least 90 points and 26 even scored at least 95 points.

Basically no surprise

Anyone who has followed the winegrowing scene in Styria closely will probably not be very surprised, as the wines from the region have already caused an international sensation in previous years.

For example, at the“Concours Mondial du Sauvignon“, one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for white wine. In 2016 and 2019, South Styrian winegrowers produced the best Sauvignon Blanc in one category, and in 2017 and 2018 they even produced the best white wine in the entire competition. A must-have for drinks menus all over the world.

Willi Klinger, Managing Director of ÖWM, is also convinced that Styria is one of the outstanding destinations for top white wines. Of course, he is particularly pleased that the region’s unique wines are now developing from an insider tip to a must-have among connoisseurs and gourmets and are finding increased sales around the globe.

The conditions are good, because not only the quality has increased enormously. The area under cultivation has also grown by around 30 percent in the last two decades. So it should come as no surprise to connoisseurs when more and more fine wines from Styria appear on the wine lists of restaurants.

Further information:
www.suedsteiermark.com
www.steiermark.com