One of the three specific wine-growing regions in the Austrian province or generic wine-growing region of Styria. The elongated region borders Slovenia to the south. Western Styria is actually located in the south-west of Styria; large parts of Upper Styria lie further west than Western Styria.

History

The name derives from the time of the Habsburg monarchy, when Eastern and Western Styria together formed Central Styria of the Duchy of Styria, while today's Slovenian Lower Styria was the mixed German-Slovenian region with the capital Maribor an der Drau (Maribor). Viticulture can be traced back to the fourth century BC, as the Illyrians, Celts and later the Romans already cultivated vines here. Viticulture on the Ligistberg was first mentioned in a document in 1235.

Climate & soil

The location at the foothills of the Koralpe and the Reinischkogel protects against wind and causes strong warming during the day. The vineyards on gneiss and weathered slate soils stretch southwards in a narrow band between 420 and 600 metres above sea level to the Slovenian border. Steep slopes and almost gorge-like valleys characterise the landscape. The climate is Illyrian with southern European-Mediterranean influences and relatively high rainfall.

Wine-growing communities

The wine-growing communities are Bad Gams, Deutschlandsberg (Burgegg vineyard), Eibiswald, Groß St. Florian, Ligist, Marhof, Schwanberg, the Schilcher centre of Stainz ( Engelweingarten vineyard), Stallhofen, St. Stefan ob Stanz, Gundersdorf, Greisdorf and Wies (Lamberg vineyard). The "Schilcher Wine Route" begins in Ligist and ends in Eibiswald. Characteristic are the "Kellerstöckln", which consist only of a pressing room with a wine cellar below.

Schilcher Wine

Western Styria is the classic region for Schilcher wine, which has been produced for centuries from the indigenous Blauer Wildbacher variety, which is grown almost exclusively in Styria and covers around two thirds of the vineyards here. The area includes the entire wine-growing region of Western Styria and, as a novelty, the cadastral municipality of Obergreith (municipality of Oberhaag in the district of Leibnitz) in the wine-growing region of Southern Styria.

Grape variety index

In 2022, the vineyards covered a total of 641 hectares of vines. Compared to 2016 with 546 hectares, this was an increase of 93 hectares (17%). White wine varieties account for 218 hectares (34%) and red wine varieties for 423 hectares (66%). Among the red wine varieties, the Styrian speciality Blauer Wildbacher dominates with almost two thirds of the total area, followed by Zweigelt and Blauer Burgunder. The white wine varieties are dominated by Pinot Blanc, followed by Sauvignon Blanc and Welschriesling. There were no major changes in the ranking.