Weingut Werlitsch, Glanz, Styria
Werlitsch is a small family winery in the southern part of Styria, bordering Slovenia, run by Ewald and Brigitte Tscheppe. The estate had been in Ewalds family for generations when he officially took over the farm from his father in 2004 at 26 years old. His dad had been running it since the 1950’s and was the one who transformed it from a mixed crop farm to growing 100% vines.
Further on, when Ewald stepped in he had a clear vision of what he wanted to convey with his own wines under the ‘born again’ Werlitsch label. He had learned the tricks of the trade working with his parents and also by going to wine school in Silberberg. Compared to his brother Andreas Tscheppe’s more traditional style, whom Ewald worked with prior, he wanted to go on his own journey. Lucky us that he chose a highly personal route!
The work in the 8 hectares of vineyards is sustainable, with a holistic approach, and the estate is certified Demeter since 2004. Vineyards are layed out on steep slopes as well as some on slightly flatter terrain. The grapes in focus are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay (locally known as Morillon) and Welschriesling. The additional 10 hectares of land is forest, pasture, gardens and dramatically scenic rolling hills. Styria is covered in hillsides so steep that tractor work is not possible in many parts and as a result Ewald does all vineyard work by hand. The region rests on the same latitude as the Jura and shares some of its soil types like Limestone and Marl as well as Chardonnay biotypes.
Grapes are harvested by hand and brought to the winery for a slow pressing that is usually left over night. Fermentation is with natural yeast and elevage is in large barrels and Austrian Foudres. Wines are usually aged for a minimum of 18 months but many for up to 3 years before being bottled unfiltered. The wines are often made without sulfur with the odd exception. Edward is after all a pragmatic type in the cellar.
The Ex Vero range are specific Opok soil (mixture of clay & silt) plots numbered in relation to how high the harvest is taken. Ex Vero I are taken from the lower slopes, Ex Vero II the middle and Ex Vero III the highest part of the slope, where the vines are known to struggle a little more due to the rockier texture. Werlitsch also makes more skin-contact focused wines like the orange wines Glück and Freude, which are released in Clay bottles. The main difference between the two are that Freude is macerated as whole bunches, whilst Glück is detemmed before maceration. Generally skin ferments go for the length of alcoholic fermentation plus some time, usually 5-6 weeks.
With an annual production of around 20 000 bottles it is obvious to tell that precision is nothing that Edward is sloppy with. The resulting wines are pure, down-to-earth, honest and full of vibrant mineral energy!
Extras: Werlitsch sits alongside fellow respected producers working under the name ‘Schmecke das Leben’ (‘taste the life’), which is a group of five chemical-free & holistic producers committed to low-intervention work in the cellar and vineyard. They work together to offer advice and support to be able to all achieve the best they can. The other members of the group are Tscheppe, Strohmeier, Sepp & Maria Muster and Tauss.
2021 Welschriesling Vom Opok
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with Opok underneath (limestone marl) from the flatter
Ex Vero I site.
Grape: Welschriesling
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Planted 1969
Vinification: Slow direct press followed by spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel tank for 5 months and finally in an 3000 L old oak barrel for 10 months.
2021 Morillon Vom Opok
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with Opok underneath (limestone marl) from the flatter
Ex Vero I site.
Grape: Morillon (Chardonnay)
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Planted 1990
Vinification: Slow direct press followed by spontaneous fermentation. Aged in stainless steel tank for 5 months and finally 1200-3000 L old oak barrels for 15 months. Bottled at the beginning of April 2023.
2020 Ex Vero II
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with several layers of Opok
underneath (limestone marl) from the steeper Ex Vero II site.
Grape: 30% Morillon (Chardonnay) and 70% Sauvignon Blanc.
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Planted 1990-1997
Vinification: Slow direct press followed by spontaneous fermentation. Aged in 1200-2400 L old oak barrels for 25 months. Bottled at the end of August 2022.
2017 Ex Vero II S
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with several layers of Opok
underneath (limestone marl) from the steeper Ex Vero II site.
Grape: 25% Morillon (Chardonnay) and 75% Sauvignon Blanc.
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Planted 2000
Vinification: Slow direct press followed by spontaneous fermentation. Aged in 1200-2400 L old oak barrels for 40 months. Bottled at the end of March 2021.
2020 Glück
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with several layers of Opok
underneath (limestone marl) from the steeper Ex Vero II site.
Grape: 55% Morillon (Chardonnay) and 45% Sauvignon Blanc.
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Sauvignon Blanc planted 1991-1994, Morillon 1992-1997
Vinification: All bunches were destemmed before a 2-3 week maceration of the grapes on the skins in old barrels. After press the Sauvignon was aged in 1500-1650 liter barrels for 23 months and the Morillon in similar barrels for 12 months before being blended. Bottled at the end of August 2022.
2021 DreiGenerationen Wein
Soil: Brown clayey top soil with several layers of Opok underneath (limestone marl) from the steeper Ex Vero II site and a specific plot with mixed varietals.
Grape: Gelber Muskateller, Welschriesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Morillon, Roter Traminer (All varieties were harvested, macerated and fermented together).
Appellation: N/A
Age of vines: Varied
Vinification: Destemmed then squashed bunches were given a few days of skin contact in a stainless steel tank. After press and fermentation the wine was aged on the lees in small 300-600 L old barrels for 18 months. Bottled at the beginning of April 2023
Extras: This particular plot of mixed varietals have been farmed by the Tscheppe family for three generations hence explaining the name of the wine.