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Steiermark and the Krampus Lauf

 

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As summer heats up Istanbul I remember with some fondness the bone chilling cold when I visited Graz a few years ago. I try to go somewhere in Europe every year for the Christmas markets. Sadly, this year I probably won’t be able to go anywhere. Which makes me feel even more nostalgic for past trips such as this.

Before this trip I’d never been to Graz. Austria, yes. Several times. But never Graz.  I chose Graz for this trip entirely based on one event the city holds during its Christmas market: the Krampus Lauf. Never heard of it? Not surprised. It’s a pretty Austrian/Bavarian tradition. Krampus is the anti-Santa. Depending on the exact folklore, he is a horned monster who kidnaps naughty children, puts them in burlap sacks, and beats them with sticks. I’ve heard he might also eat them. So, basically be good kids! Every year Graz hosts a parade of Krampus monsters and minions. Apparently it’s become quite touristicized. My friend S recalls that when she was a child, the parade was more of a general melee with those playing Krampus running into the crowd and striking people with sticks.

Generally the Graz Christmas market did not impress me. However, I did greatly enjoy the city, the food, the Glühwein, and yes, the Krampus Lauf. But I have never experienced cold like that! I went prepared for the 0-5 C weather that was predicted…not the -8-0 weather that was! Standing along the street for the three hours of the Krapmus Lauf left me chilled to the bone. I went back to my hotel after and sat shivering, in full outdoor dress and wrapped in all the blankets, for about an hour before my temperature normalized. And I’m from Michigan. I make fun of people for thinking weather is “cold”.

Steiermark

My friend S calls Graz home though so I went armed with some basic city information and a pretty decent background in Steirische wines. The latter coming in exceeding handy when came the time to fill my 30 kilo suitcase.

Also known as “Styria”, Steiermark (shteye-er-mark) borders Slovenia making it the southernmost Austrian wine region. The majority of grapes grown in this largely Mediterranean climate are white. Fully 75%. Sauvignon Blanc is a specialty here as are grapes in the Traminer family, and Shilcher. Weissburgunger, Welschriesling, and Chardonnay are also quite popular. In the black varieties Zweigelt, Spätburgunder, and St. Laurent make up the bulk of wines.

Steiermark is home to three DACs (Districtus Austriae Controllatus): Südsteiermark, Vulkanland Steiermark, and Weststeiermark.

Weingut Reiterer Steirischer Junker, 2017

Junker is Styria’s Beaujolais nouveau. The word derives from a middle age term meaning “high-born young boy/gentleman.” S often brings back a bottle or two when she returns from her summer holiday. While it’s supposed to be drunk before the new year, we usually don’t get around to it until spring!

This Junker from Weingut Reiterer is an interesting blend of 60% Weissburgunder, 15% Sauvignon Blanc, and 15% Müller-Thurgau.

Alcohol: 12% abv

Color: lemon with green highlights

Nose: Pronounced fruits with citrus, white peach, and fruit blossom

Palate: A crisp wine with a fruity character and apple and citrus detail. High acidity, a light body, and a clean and persistent mouthful of fruit flavors kept me going back for more! I found it much more preferable to a Beaujolais nouveau!

Weingut Reiterer Steirischer Junker, 2018

This second Junker is 100% Schilcher, a grape specific to Weststeiermark. Schilcher is a wild grape variety (or was until relatively recently). The grape’s name comes from a Middle High German word, schillern, meaning to radiate with color. And boy howdy does it. Winemakers in Weststeiermark often use it for rosé and rosé sparkling wines; its high acidity making it ideal for both those styles.  If you happen to be in Steiermark during the winter you might also find Glühwein made from Schilcher. It’s much lighter than standard mulled wine and even in that form the grape’s lively acidity comes through.

Alcohol: 11.5% abv

Color: bright and deep ruby pink, closer to a pale red than a rosé

Nose: Candy, red berries, strawberry, cranberry, and cotton candy

Palate: Bright and clean on the palate with loads of lively acidity and a very dry expression of strawberries and a citric sour patch kid candy essence.

Radl Klöcher Traminer, 2017

From Weingut Radl Klöcher in Vulkanland comes this Traminer which is, in fact, Gewürztraminer. The label claims: “Mit dem Duft der Rose” i.e. “with the scent of rose.” Not a false claim.

Alcohol: 13.5% abv

Color: deep lemon

Nose: Very delicate bouquet of the as promised roses and beeswax

Palate: On the palate the wine was halb-trocken, or off-dry. Palate flavors were more intense than the nose but incorporated the roses and beeswax sensed there with the addition of ripe peaches. A zippy acidity nicely balanced the light sweetness.

Weingut Kratzer Weißburgunder, 2015

I drink a lot of wines from Weingut Kratzer. It’s one of S’s favorite wineries in Steiermark so she often returns to Istanbul with their wine. I don’t often get the chance to drink Weißburgunder, or Pinot Blanc if you prefer, so this was an education.

Alcohol: 12.5% abv

Color: medium lemon with green highlights

Nose: Rife with tropical fruits, pineapple, walnut, grass, and hints of stone

Palate: Dry with loads of fresh acidity, the palate flavors mimicked the nose with the addition of pith and a mineral edge on the finish.

Weingut Kratzer Hecken Frizzante

Also from Weingut Kratzer was this interesting sparkling rosé made from Uhudler but not Uhudler. Uhudler is a crossing of several grape varieties including Concord, Delaware, Elvira, and Ripatella. Created from north American grapes, it was briefly popular after phylloxera devastated Austria’s vineyards. Later, the wine authorities of Austria outlawed the grape due to its inferiority. Patches of it have survived however, ‘Uhudler’ is a protected name that can be used only in Burgenland.

In Steiermark, any wine made from the grape, known locally as ‘Hecken’ is classified as a ‘Landwein’, i.e. a table wine. No one propagates it commercially. The story I heard has Weingut Kratzer buying these grapes from private gardens/small wineries around Styria.

Alcohol: 11% abv

Color: bright, intense pink with persistent and large bubbles

Nose: Like many hybrid grapes, Hecken/Uhudler offers up foxy aromas but more as an accompaniment to rather than overwhelming the strawberry and red currants

Palate: An energetic and mouth-filling mousse with delightful strawberry, currant, and red hard candy flavors. Dry with high acidity, this was quite a delight. I’ve had a couple few Uhudler wines and they’re not always to my taste (they can be quite foxy) but this was lovely.

Weingut Tscheppe Gelber Muskateller, 2018

S recently hosted a handful of us to try a series of Gelber Muskateller wines from around Austria. My favorite of the night was not from Steiermark. Alas. So that will end up in a future post. Gelber Muskateller is the Austrian name for Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains. More often than not made in a dry to off-dry style in Austria. Weingut Techeppe‘s

Alcohol: 11.5% abv

Color: medium lemon with green highlights

Nose: Typically Muscat with intense English garden bouquet aromas of rose, tea rose, honeysuckle, rich citrus, pomelo, and pear

Palate: Dry and light-bodied with low acidity (despite the website’s claim that it is “lively”), with a bit of a drop off finish. Less intense and less floral on the palate, this was not my favorite Muscat ever. However, a soft and easy wine it had its own charm.