The Winery Weingut Riehen of Westschweiz

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.