In Vulkanland Steiermarkthere are nine DAC-Ortswein districts. From north to south, they are:
Oststeiermark
The Ortswein district Oststeiermark makes up the northern part of Vulkanland.LANDSCAPE
Basically, the grapes coming from volcanic soils here are always a bit riper because of the omnipresent heat, but even in the Vulkanland, the coolness rising from the surroundings at night provides the desirable freshness in the wines, as is the case throughout the Steiermark.AREA UNDER VINES
325 hectaresPRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & WeißburgunderSOILS
Weathered volcanic rock (basalt & tuff); sedimentary soils (gravel, sand & clay); schist (northern area).
Riegersburg
The Ortswein district Riegersburg is situated in the middle of Vulkanland.
LANDSCAPE
The Riegersburg – an 11th-century fortification, built & rebuilt over the centuries – dominates the region that reaches out above it in an imposing manner. The Ortswein district surrounding the castle is located in the middle of the Vulkanland and is bordered on the south by the Raab Valley and to the north by the Feistritz Valley. Due to the steeply sloping hillsides traversed by streams and rivers, numerous vineyards favoured with unique microclimates are found here.
AREA UNDER VINES
298 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & Weißburgunder
SOILS
Predominantly soils on sedimentary stone (sandy gravel [alluvial deposits], silt & clay [marine sediments]); weathered volcanic rock (primarily tuff).
Gleichenberg
The Ortswein district Gleichenberg is situated at the centre of Vulkanland.
LANDSCAPE
The almost 600-metre-high Gleichenberger Kogel (volcanic cones several million years old) are unique to the region and hence provide it with its name, located in the centre of the Ortswein district. In the north, the Ortswein district extends into the Raab valley (the River Raab forms a natural border to the local wine area Riegersburg), in the southeast to the Stradner Kogel. In the south & west, Gleichenberg borders the two Ortswein districts Straden and Sankt Peter.
The vineyards lie like islands between meadows, fields and forests, scattered over gentle hills, which are crisscrossed here and there by streams. The numerous, small vineyards favoured with distinctive microclimates are situated between 300–400 metres in elevation.AREA UNDER VINES
90 hectaresPRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & MorillonSOILS
Limestone-free, weathered volcanic rock (basalt, tuff), calcareous & limestone-free sedimentary soils (gravel, sand & loam).
Kapfenstein
The Ortswein district Kapfenstein is dominated by the high plateau of the extinct Kapfensteiner volcano.LANDSCAPE
Kapfenstein lies between Bad Gleichenberg and Fehring and is geologically & scenically dominated by the high plateau of the extinct Kapfenstein volcano, with its distinctive 11th century castle. Between Kapfenstein Castle & Fehring one encounters the steeply rising Kuruzzenkogel, the second volcanic cone in the small region. In the northwest around Schloss Bertholdstein, the terrain rises again before descending to the bottom of the Raab Valley, which determines the northern boundary of the commune.AREA UNDER VINES
73 hectaresPRIMARY VARIETIES
Sauvignon Blanc & WeissburgunderSOILS
Primarily weathered volcanic rock (basalt/tuff) – with one particular feature, laced with olivines (plutonic rock, originating from magma); sedimentary soils (gravel, sand & clay).
St. Anna
The Ortswein district Sankt Anna is located close to one of the largest extinct volcanoes in the region.LANDSCAPE
The village of Sankt Anna is perched at 403 metres above sea level upon a ridge of argillaceous marl, sand and gravel, from which one can see most of the vineyards on the slopes. This striking hillside, the Stradener Kogel, is one of the largest extinct volcanoes in the region. It functions as a climatic divide and protects the vineyards from the cooling weather conditions of the mid-Alpine, Styrian north. Most of the vineyards are between 300–390 metres above sea level, though in Frutten-Giesselsdorfberg as high as 460 metres. The area borders on Südburgenland in the east, to the southeast on Slovenia.AREA UNDER VINES
140 hectaresPRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & MorillonSOILS Sedimentary soils, partly calcareous (gravel, sand & clay); weathered volcanic rock (basalt & tuff, in the western reaches)
Straden
The Ortswein district Straden is situated in the southern half of the winegrowing region Vulkanland.
LANDSCAPE
The community of Straden lies in the southern half of the winegrowing region Vulkanland on by the gentle hills of an ancient gravel plateau as well as the foothills of a former volcano on the Stradener Kogel. The vineyards are scattered like islands between 280–440 metres of elevation on steep slopes and high plateaus around the historic market town of Straden. Exposition of the grapevines ranges from east to south to west.
AREA UNDER VINES
166 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & Grauburgunder
SOILS
Predominantly deep sedimentary soils, partly calcareous (gravel, sand & clay); weathered volcanic rock (basalt & tuff).
St Peter
The Ortswein district Sankt Peter is situated in the southwest of the winegrowing region Vulkanland.LANDSCAPE
Sankt Peter is characterised by rolling hills and valleys with vineyards – ranging from hilly to steep – orchards, forests & fields – an expansive, picturebook land of traditional mixed agriculture.
AREA UNDER VINES
125 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & Weißburgunder
The Ortswein district Tieschen borders on Straden,
Sankt Anna & Klöch.LANDSCAPE
The vineyards are located around the Steintal on slopes that are spurs of extinct volcanoes, facing the village of Tieschen. The Ortswein region is characterised by a diverse, hilly agricultural landscape with a variety of soil types.
AREA UNDER VINES
97 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & the Pinot family
SOILS
Predominantly weathered volcanic rock (basalt and tuff); sedimentary soils (gravel, sand & clay).
Kölch
The Ortswein district Klöch is situated in the southeastern part of Vulkanland.
LANDSCAPE
The vineyards are grouped around an extinct volcano, today’s Klöchberg, on the plateaus and the slopes of the predominantly volcanic environment. Centres of winegrowing are the vineyards Klöchberg and Hochwarth.
AREA UNDER VINES
179 hectares
PRIMARY VARIETIES Sauvignon Blanc & Traminer
SOILS
Predominantly weathered volcanic rock (basalt in particular, but also tuff with inclusions of various sizes), quite ferrous in places.
Please download the Ortswein district map of the Vulkanland here.
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