currently 162,031 Wines and 24,804 Producers, including 2,923 classified producers.
The traditional winery is located in the municipality of Leutschach in the Austrian wine-growing region of Southern Styria. The first documentary records date back to 1727. Today the estate is run by Maria and Sepp Muster. The vineyards comprise ten hectares of vines in the Graf and Sgaminegg areas. They are planted with the white wine varieties Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Morillon and Gelber Muskateller(Muscatel), and with the red wine varieties Blauer Wildbacher, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch stocked. The most valuable vineyards are made of pure opok rock (tegel like sediment) and therefore show sparse growth with very low yields. The natural, environmentally friendly cultivation is done with biodynamic methods according to the rules of DEMETER. This includes the dynamisation and application of teas and preparations from plant, mineral and animal substances, taking into account certain planetary constellations, as well as the consistent renunciation of fertilisers, herbicides and synthetic pesticides.
Yield limitations are partly natural due to the opok rock soils, partly they are made by hand. The aim is small-berried, highly aromatic grape material as a basic requirement for wines full of character and complexity. After spontaneous fermentation with wild, vineyard-own yeasts, the wines are preferably aged in wooden containers for up to 24 months. The lines "Vom Opok", "Sgaminegg" (meaning "from the stone") and "Graf" are pressed from selected grapes with low yields of only 30 to 40 hl/ha. A speciality are macerated white wines in the style of an orange wine. The "Graf" type ferments and ages in wooden barrels and remains on the mash for four to six weeks. The very special original type "Erde" ferments and stores in amphorae buried in the earth under the open sky, remains on the mash for six to eight months, is then strained, stored in large wooden barrels and finally filled into clay bottles.