Wine

Austria Journal: Styria

Earlier this summer, our head sommelier Nicole set off on a wine trip through Austria, starting with a full day in Styria, in the country’s southeast – a region of humid air, rolling hills, and vineyards stretching out in every direction.

The first wine of the trip ended up being the one that stayed with her the longest.

“Truly the first wine we tasted on the trip – we were at Werlitsch walking along the slopes of  Ex Vero. After a walk through the vineyard we came back down to the house, sat down, and tasted the Welschriesling vom Opok with Ewald. It was as if everything that  I smelled in the vineyard was right there in the glass. There’s something about being there – I’ve visited vineyards before, but I’ve never felt the impact quite so strong. The excitement of this being our first day and first visit of the trip probably played a part in the intensity of the moment,  but everything in the vineyard was in that glass. It was magical.”

That evening, dinner brought together winemakers from across the Newcomer Wines Styrian portfolio, among them was Herbet König, Christoph Neumeister, Michael Gross (working just across the border in Slovenia), Ewald and Brigitte Tscheppe and members of the Muster family.

“It was a collection of Stryrian winemakers at Maitz Weinhotel. It was magnificent. Everyone gathered together and brought bottles to pass around. There was Sepp & Maria Muster’s Erde 2012. Thier son Elias’s new vintages as well as Wachstum König’s Wildbacher Flamme 2023 and Vino Gross’s entire 2023 vintage. Everyone sat together in the same room, passing bottles from table to table. Corks kept popping and more mind blowing bottles continued to hit the table. At one point Ewald Tscheppe opened a Magnum of Werlitsch Ex Vero II 2015. Your glass was always full and when it wasn’t there was someone there to fill it. It was a truly special night.”