Exploring the beautiful ‘Sausal’ South Styria wine road
The best way to explore this unique part of Styria in Southern Austria is via the Sausal wine trail and at its heart the village of Kitzeck im Sausal
The beautiful landscapes of the Kitzeck-Sausal region, South Styria - Source: Winekeller
The Kitzeck-Sausal wine region in South Styria, Southern Austria is home to stunning landscapes and some of the highest vineyards in Europe. The best way to explore this beautiful wine region is to follow the Sausal wine trail and of course to try some of its amazing wines!
Read on to discover this little-known, but stunning part of Southern Austria.
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An introduction to South Styria in Austria
The region of Styria - or Steiermark - is known for its superb Austrian Sauvignon Blanc wines and no more so than in the most southern of the three Styria wine regions - ‘South Styria’ - or - ‘Südesteiermark’.
As well as world-class Sauvignon Blanc wines, South Styria produces Welschriesling, Gelber Muskateller, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay (known as Morillon here), as well as some Riesling (see later).
The wide range of wines reflects the wide range of soil types in South Styria, including sand, slate, marl and limestone. The region is also characterised by rolling green hills and at times extremely steep vineyard slopes, which creates some unique micro-climates. The mild, quite humid Mediterranean climate and cooler nights here perfectly suits the different grape varieties.
As defined by the 2018 Südsteiermark DAC, there are five different wine locations in South Styria, including: Kitzeck-Sausal, Eichberg, Leutschach, Gamlitz and Ehrenhausen - and the wine classification includes ‘regional wines’ (Gebietsweine), ‘village wines’ (Ortsweine) and ‘single vineyard wines’ (Riedenweine).
This article focuses on the Kitzeck-Sausal region.
South Styria map - Source: Austrian Wine
South Styria wine regions
Kitzeck-Sausal in South Styria - Südesteiermark
Of the five different wine regions of South Styria, Kitzeck-Sausal stands out for a few key reasons and is often referred to as the ‘Inselberg’ - or the ‘stand-alone peak’.
Firstly, its geology. Kitzeck-Sausal features some of Austria's oldest rock formations, formed here over 400 million years ago and the whole area was once under the sea. The soil is characterised by slate and primary rock that is around 60 million years old, made up of tightly compacted layers of minerals, which helps produce wines with unique character, elegance and minerality.
Secondly, very steep, high vineyard slopes. The Kitzeck-Sausal region is characterised by very steep vineyard slopes, reaching up to 650 m (2,130 ft) in elevation, with steep gradients. The village of Kitzeck im Sausal is home to some of the region’s highest peaks.
Thirdly, the climate. The climate in Kitzeck-Sausal is influenced by the Alps and alpine air currents as well as the Mediterranean and it is the coolest village appellation of the five South Styria regions. Due to the high, steep slopes here, the difference in the day and night-time temperatures can reach 25 °C, which helps create highly fragrant and intensely concentrated wines.
Fourthly, Riesling. Although Sauvignon Blanc is widely grown here, the speciality of the region is Riesling, which is considered the trademark of the Sausal region. Riesling is a grape variety which is perfectly suited to the soils and terroir here (similar to the other famous Riesling wine regions, for example Germany’s Mosel wine region).
This is indeed a fascinating wine region - with many challenges for wine growers to navigate, but it produces some outstanding and characterful wines.
The Sausal wine trail
There are eight different Styrian wine roads which introduce the visitor to the very best of the region, in terms of landscapes, food, wine and hospitality.
Three of these wine roads - or weinstrasse - are in South Styria - the South Styrian Wine Trail, the Schilcher Wine Trail and the Sausal Wine Trail.
The Sausal wine trail runs from the wine town of Leibnitz in the east of the region and travels west through the Sulmtal valley, along the southern slopes of the Sausal wine-growing region to Fresing.
From here it climbs steeply through mixed forest land to Kitzeck im Sausal and round in a tight loop through the steepest vineyards in Styria, with magnificent views of the surrounding vineyards and valley landscapes, past the Demmerkogel (the highest elevation in the Sausal region) and back down to the village of Maierhof in the Sulmtal.
Following this wine trail takes you through some spectacular and panoramic scenery, with impressive views each way you turn - this really is a breathtakingly beautiful natural landscape.
There are lots of panoramic viewing points, giving you a chance to enjoy and savour the spectacular views.
It’s not just about the scenery though, there are impressive sights to see, including the world's largest ‘Klapotetz’ (a traditional windmill) and historic Seggau Castle, but also of course lots of opportunities to sample the local wines in the regional wineries and sample the local food in a traditional Buschenschank (wine tavern) or restaurant.
Buschenschanks are basically wine taverns, where you can enjoy the wines made by the owner/winery along with some local food, which is mostly in the form of cold dishes including cold cuts - roast pork, smoked meats, ham, cold sausage meat, various different local cheeses, homemade breads with flavoured butters, liver sausage spread and pumpkin seed spread and different salads.
Stop and take time to enjoy some of the excellent walking and hiking trails on the Sausal wine trail. There are lots of different trails, all well marked and there to be enjoyed and to show you the best of the region. The walking trails range from leisurely to more challenging, but they all offer lots of places to stop and enjoy the views and some refreshments!
See here to discover the South Styria Wine Road
Find a list of Buschenschanks in the Kitzeck-Sausal region here.
Discover the wineries in Kitzeck-Sausal here.
Visiting top Sausal winery - Weingut Wohlmuth
We took the opportunity whilst in the Kitzeck-Sausal region to pay a visit to one of Styria’s top wineries.
Weingut Wohlmuth is a family wine institution in South Styria and has been cultivating vineyards, some of them historic, around the highest wine-growing village of Kitzeck im Sausal since 1803.
Weingut Wohlmuth in Kitzeck im Sausal - Source: Winekeller
The Wohlmuth family owns and farms some of Europe's steepest vineyards, with almost 100 percent gradients. All work in the vineyard is done by hand, with no herbicides or insecticides and each separate vineyard plot has a unique terroir, enabling Wohlmuth to produce a wide range of highly characterful wines. Weingut Wohlmuth is mostly known for its superb Sauvignon Blancs and Rieslings.
Weingut Wohlmuth is a family business, led by Gerhard and Marion Wohlmuth and supported by Gerhard’s parents Maria and Gerhard Wohlmuth, who originally built up the estate to its current 55 hectares. Sons Moritz, Samuel and Noah complete the family team.
Gerhard Wohlmuth focuses on hand cultivation, reduced yields and minimalist intervention in the vineyard, a philosophy which extends to the cellar.
Weingut Wohlmuth is one of the twelve members of the Steierische Terroir & Klassikweingüter (STK) - who have classified their best vineyards as ‘premier cru’ or ‘grand cru’ using the abbreviations ‘1-STK’ and ‘G-STK’. All members are committed to a wine culture which is authentic to their region in Styria and all promote sustainable cultivation and preservation of the cultural landscape.
Visiting Weingut Wohlmuth
You can visit Weingut Wohlmuth in Kitzeck im Sausal - we suggest you arrange a tour and wine tasting in advance.
Useful information for visiting South Styria - Südsteiermark - Austria
When to visit South Styria
The Spring, the Summer and the Autumn are all a great time to visit South Styria!
The summer months can be very warm, but the spring and autumn months are both lovely times to enjoy the countryside, the wines, the food and the scenery.
Kitzeck im Sausal
Kitzeck im Sausal is in the heart of the region and the Sausal wine trail runs right through it. It also happens to be Austria's highest wine-growing community - at 564metres above sea level! On a clear day, you can enjoy a beautiful view of Southern and Eastern Styria.
We really recommend stopping here to enjoy the amazing views of course, but also to enjoy some food and a glass of the local wine at Das Weinkitz in the centre of the village. The outside seating area offers spectacular views and they also offer accommodation too.
You can also visit Europe’s highest wine museum and just outside the village, a lavender farm.
Visit Vinoble Cosmetics
If you love totally natural beauty products then perhaps pop into‘Vinoble Cosmetics’ in Fresing, on the Sausal wine trail! Not only are the products natural, they are made from active ingredients derived from grapes and are all available at the factory here in the Sausal region. We enjoyed using Vinoble products (shower gel, soap, body lotion, hair products etc) in our hotel (Landgut am Pössnitzberg) and couldn't resist buying some to take home with us!
Click to discover more about exploring South Styria - in the Gamlitz region and in the Ehrenhausen region.
For all other information and inspiration about visiting beautiful South Styria visit the official Steirmark website.
Conclusion
The Kitzeck-Sausal region is so worth visiting - this is real ‘Austria off the beaten track and the Sausal wine trail is just so beautiful - the views are incredible. With very little traffic, it’s off the tourist route and here you’ll find the most genuine hospitality, as well of course great wines!
