The DAC origin system Steiermark, which was introduced in 2018, stands for “wine with protected origin” and offers outstanding wines with a guarantee of origin. The DAC areas Südsteiermark DAC, Vulkanland DAC and Weststeiermark DAC were the first areas in Austria to make hand harvesting of grapes mandatory. The Ortweine (village wines) and Riedenweine (Single vineyard wines) are in the foreground. In order to guarantee ripening and time for development, Gebietsweine (wines of the area) are released on the market from 1st March, Ortsweine and Riedenweine from 1st May after the harvest. Wines from Steiermark are often harvested on slopes with extreme inclination. More than half of the vineyard area is mountain winegrowing. The TERROIR OF STEIERMARK is SINGULAR: the unique interplay of climate, soils, vineyards and characteristics of the area enables the winegrowers to make distinctive wines with their very own character.
