Sepp und Maria Muster

"To grant a wine its own life necessitates the winemaker to step aside, let go of analysis and listen to the wine's soul." This is how the Muster family describe their approach to winemaking on their informative website - a modus operandi based on deep admiration for nature. The Weingut Muster has been certified biodynamic since 2003.

The history of the domain goes back to 1727 and today is run by the winemaking couple Sepp and Maria Muster, who took over from Sepp's parents. Their goal is to make authentic wines expressive of the variety and the place where it is grown. This is what a lot of winemakers claim to do, but in Muster's case it is utterly believable.

Weingut Muster lies in South Styria, along Austria's Southern border to Italy. The climate there is continental. The summer can be hot, but the winter can also be very cold in Leutschach. The temperature drop during night time helps the grapes to retain their acidity. South Styria is primarily known for aromatic white wines therefore it is not a surprise that varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Gelber Muskateller and Morillon (as Chardonnay is called in Styria) dominate the Muster vineyards. No Riesling, unfortunately.

All vineyards lie around the winery at an altitude of 430 - 470 meters above sea level and harvest is done by hand in most of them. The soil consists of lime and clay silt (called "opok" in South Styria), which "produces warm wines with varietal aroma character." Which was definitely the case with the wonderful Morillon I had (see tasting notes below).

All wines from the Weingut Muster are designated as Landwein (German for vin de pays). I asked Sepp Muster about the reason for eschewing the Austrian quality wine system and he responded to me in email: "A wine does not change because it has an official quality assessment number unless you make the wine for the jury. We make wines as they grow in our vineyards and mature in our cellars. Offering our wines as Landwein saves us the hassle with bureaucracy and money and I don't think we are selling less wine just because the wine does not have an official number."

If you happen to live in Berlin, Café Sgaminegg has an excellent selection of Muster wines.