LANDSCAPE
The landscape embraces winegrowing on gentle hills as well as on extremely steep slopes. The vineyards are situated on the foothills of the Reinischkogel, some vines even at 650 metres above sea level. The old fortress Burg Ligist provides the region with its principal tourist attraction.
AREA UNDER VINES
50 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES
Sauvignon Blanc & Blauer Wildbacher (vinified as Schilcher)
SOILS
Predominantly limestone-free stony brown earth, originating from crystalline plate gneiss & schists.
STYLE
Wines with complex fruit and a vibrant minerality are produced on the sparse gneiss and slate soils and under the influence of the cold falling winds of the Koralpe Range.
SOILS
Sandy & limestone-free soils, formed on crystalline schists & gneisses.
STYLE
Wines with complex fruit and a vibrant minerality are produced on the sparse gneiss and slate soils, under the influence of the cold downdrafts of the Koralpe Range.
SOILS
Predominantly gneiss, formed from crystalline plate gneiss (northern area); loamy, sandy & gravel soils (southern area).
STYLE
The gneiss soils in the northern area bring forth wines with a pronounced primary aromatic arc. The Schilcher tend to be lighter here. On the other hand, the sandy & gravelly soils in the southern part of Deutschlandsberg inspire the secondary aromas in the wines to unfold more perceptibly: riper to spicier styles of wine with enhanced notes of juicy strawberries and wild strawberries. The acidity is usually not so racy as it can be in wines from crystalline soils. The wines are usually deeper in colour, fuller in body and evince more pronounced tannins.
SOILS
Predominantly loamy soils on sand & gravel, as well as limestone-free soils of crystalline schists & gneisses.
STYLE
These predominantly sandy soils usually produce riper, spicier wines with prominent notes of strawberries & wild strawberries. The acidity is usually not so perceptibly racy as it can be in wines from crystalline soils. The wines are usually deeper in colour, fuller in body and have more tannins. The gneiss soils to the northwest are more likely to produce wines with pronounced primary aromas and brighter colour.