Weingut Polz
The family vineyard of Erich Polz is situated in an idyllic field in the middle of hilly Southern Styria, about an hour’s drive south of Graz. The business was originally founded in 1912. In the late 1980s, the brothers took over their parents’ vineyard. Christoph Polz, Erich’s son, became the fourth generation to assume the role of winemaker in 2011.
The Polz vineyards are situated in one of the best winegrowing regions of Southern Styria around the Grassnitzberg where the Illyrian climate prevails. The area is characterised by a special harmony of Alpine, Pannonian and Mediterranean climates. As a result, the wine grown here is of the finest quality. The geological composition of the soil, many hours of sunshine and well-distributed rainfall offer almost perfect conditions for viticulture.
The Polz family produce white grape varieties on more than 90% of their 70 hectares, with Sauvignon Blanc being the predominant grape variety. Furthermore, Chardonnay (known as Morillon in this region), Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc and Yellow Muscat thrive here. All grapes are carefully harvested by hand and reflect the great passion and competence of the winery.
The DAC wines present themselves as very aromatic, fruity and clear. They are left to mature in stainless steel and are therefore particularly typical of their variety and vintage. The single vineyard wines such as Hochgrassnitzberg exhibit a unique character and independence and have an ageing potential of up to 15 years. The Hochgrassnitzberg vineyard is generally regarded as one of the best in all of Southern Styria. Most of the vineyards lie on extinct volcanoes. As a result, the Toscana-like landscape is characterised by basalt soils with marl, schist and shell limestone.
When wandering through the beautiful vineyards, you may be startled to hear a loud rattling. That’s the Klapotetz! It’s a small Styrian type of windmill that scares away starlings and other pests. A trip to the region is a must for white wine lovers. Don’t forget to visit one of the cosy Buschenschänke (wine taverns) and try the typical dishes such as beetle bean salad with pumpkin seed oil. The Polz family have their very own wine tavern, where you can sample their delicious wines.
For more information on the Polz Winery and the region, please visit:
www.weingutpolz.at
www.polz-buschenschank.at
www.steirische-spezialitaeten.at
www.oesterreichwein.at/unser-wein/weinbaugebiete/steiermark/suedsteiermark/
Producer
Podere Le Bèrne / Fam. Natalini
Winemaker Andrea Natalini and his nephew Frederico, the budding oenologist at the winery, are the pillars of the family business. But at Le Bèrne, everyone pitches in to make great wines! Wines of excellent quality at fair prices, authentic, warm-hearted, and inviting, just like their producers. Welcome to Italy!
Heymann-Löwenstein / Fam. Löwenstein
A landscape just as impressive as that of Vaud can be found some 400 kilometres to the north, on the Moselle. As on Lake Geneva, dry stone walls, painstakingly built by hand, characterise the steep terraces here too. However, instead of the loamy, calcareous moraine soils of the Rhône Glacier, the landscape is dominated by ancient slate soils formed around 400 million years ago by the collision of the primordial continents of Old Red and Gondwana.
Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg
The first written evidence of Schloss Gobelsburg dates from 1074, but it was in 1171 that the Cistercian monks from the Zwettl monastery obtained the first vineyards at Heiligenstein and at Gaisberg in the Kamptal. Visitors entering the baroque-style complex built on a slight mound sense this tradition, this spirit, this experience accumulated over the centuries. The view takes in all the surroundings, from the village of Gobelsburg to the vine-covered hills of Heiligenstein. Inside, near the parish church where couples say yes for life, when the weather is pleasant, the pretty and romantic garden invites all to rest for a while.