Top 100 wines of Westschweiz
Discover the top 100 best wines of Westschweiz as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Westschweiz and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Westschweiz
Steiermark">Weststeiermark DAC (Western Styria) or Schilcherland is a wine producing region in southern Austria. It is closely associated with Schilcher, a unique rosé wine made exclusively from the indigenous Blauer Wildbacher Grape variety (easily the region's most planted variety). In 2017 the area was re-classified as Austria's tenth Districtus Austriae Controllatus appellation.
Schilcher wine
Along with Vienna's Gemischter Satz and Thermenregion's Gumpoldskirchen wines, the Schilcher rosé is an example of a truly regional wine style that falls outside of the usual image of Austrian wine.
Admired for both its racy fruit-forward charm and its pleasantly AggressiveAcidity, Schilcher is considered to be a significantly Terroir driven wine, taking on Spicy, vegetal characters in the right soils.
The style dates back to the 16th Century or so, and authentic Schilcher wine must carry the white horse emblem of the Lipizzaner stallions bred in Weststeiermark for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
The Weststeiermark DAC
In addition to Schilcher, red wines made from Blauer Wildbacher grapes demonstrate the region's ability to produce Rich, Full bodied red wines. DAC wines may also be made from Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling and around half a dozen other white grape varieties.
Wines which fall outside the DAC rules are labelled as Steiermark.
As with around half of the other DACs, Weststeiermark DAC wine labels may also feature a municipality, or a single vineyard on the label. 85 percent of the fruit must come from the stated location. This only applies to Schilcher wines, and Sauvignon Blanc.
News from the vineyard of Westschweiz
Andrew Jefford: ‘A wine’s visual cues shout, stamp, whistle and roar’
Disconcerting: I couldn’t forget this bottle for days afterwards. Still can’t. Back in August, wine critic Lin Liu MW (together with her partner Philippe Lejeune of Château de Chambert in Cahors) came to dinner, en route to a short holiday in Provence. One of the bottles Lin brought for us to try together was the 2018 Les Rocheuses, Parcelles No 5 et 6, from Château Le Rey in Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux. It came in a slope-shouldered bottle, not a classic Bordeaux bottle. We tried it with some R ...
Best distilleries to visit in New York
As Manhattan’s first distillery since Prohibition opens to the public, Vicki Denig takes a look at the city’s distilling scene and recommends four other NY-based distilleries to visit. America’s craft spirits industry is booming – and New York is home to one of its fastest-growing markets. Featuring over 160 craft distilleries, the state is no stranger to well-made, small-batch spirits. For those looking to taste their way through a robust market, there’s possibly no better place on the E ...
Walls’ hidden gems: Domaine A&E Verset, Cornas
Emmanuelle Verset is the sixth generation to make wine in her family, and represents the E in Domaine A&E Verset. The A is for Alain, her father. She took over from him in 2016 at the age of 24, and is one of the few female winemakers in Cornas. The Verset name runs deep in this part of the Rhône. You might have heard of Noël Verset (1919 – 2015), whose bottles are highly sought-after today – Noël was Alain’s uncle. Scroll down to see Matt Walls tasting notes and scores for six Domaine A& ...