Picture Perfect: A few hours after visiting Graz, I found myself motoring through the countryside of South Styria, a groomed and visually-striking wine region with countless vines tucked into steep hillsides. Green rolling hills, topped with manicured homes, are divided into crus planted exclusively to white varieties in Austria’s southern-most viticultural zone. The shapes of the hills are irregular with erosion, indicating that the region was once under ocean…..it is said that there is still salt and shell lime in the soils. The geological-uniqueness and intense visual breadth of South Styria are, to me, second only to that of Spain’s Priorat.
Into the Eclectic: Ever hear of a grape variety called Rotgipfler? How about a Zierfandler? Neither had I until being introduced to them by Florian Alphart, assistant to his father, the owner and winemaker at K.Alphart in Thermenregion. This family is perhaps single-handedly responsible for maintaining the status of these and other noble, indigenous varieties. The terroir and other conditions in Thermen are known to be similar to that of Burgundy, and the character shows in the wines, young and mature. Needless to say, Alphart also cultivates Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with astonishing results. I tasted through a hefty flight of ‘06s, which included all of these varieties in addition to Gruner Veltliner and Neuberger, and preferred the classiness and complexity in the local Rotgipflers and Zierfandlers to the monolithic style of the others. In this photo, Florian (22) takes me through a vineyard (July 22, ’07) that has also suffered the consequences of erratic and atypical weather patterns. He explained that 30% of the ’07 crop had already been lost due to hail damage. –Michael Koehler- www.suburbanwines.com
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