Road Trip: New Generation
Manfred Tement was one of the first Styrian winemakers to have success with malolactic fermentation and partial maturation in small oak barrels in the early eighties. Neighboring colleagues like Ulrike and Alois Gross, Willi Sattler, and the Polz brothers all in south Styria followed suit and next to their line of "Steirische Klassik", were soon producing single vineyard varietals appealing to an international audience. Wineries like these have been doing much more than just putting traditional racy-fruity Styrian white wines in oak barrels. Viticulturist Walter Polz says, "More important than the winemaking technique is the quality of the grapes in the vineyard," and his winemaking colleagues share his opinion. They have improved viticulture techniques and are producing better, healthier, riper grapes that pronounce the slate, sand, marl and lime soils of Südsteiermark and the basalt and volcanic rock of Südoststeiermark.
Mechanized work of the steep Styrian vineyards is impossible. Pruning, trimming, cane positioning, and leaf removal in the fruit zone are all necessary manual tasks in this precipitous wine region. Vineyards are positioned on south and southwest facing slopes to take full advantage of the long sun-drenched autumns. Grapes are often picked in tries to assure full physiological ripeness. All these pain-staking measures in the vineyard have contributed greatly to Styria's great success and cult-like following.
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- Road Trip: Intro
- New Generation
- Grapes of (the) Path
- Signs of the Times
- Personality Profile: Eduard Tscheppe
- Quiz
Feathered culprits soon discovered that these clapping windmills signaled sweet grapes. This typical Styrian Klapotetz serves as a nostalgic ornament in the Gross Winery's Nussberg vineyard.
