Maria and Sepp Muster took over his parents 10-hectare winery in Styria in 2000 and began to work the vines biodynamically. They had an easy transition, as no herbicides or pesticides had ever been used there before. Rocky clay and silt soils dominate the steep hills of their vineyards. This clay silt is known locally as “Opok” after which two of their wines are named. The Graf wines also feature the opok soil but have steeper south facing slopes that reduce yields and produce wines of more structure and pronounced mineral character. And finally, they make orange wines like Erde, which can be found in this special clay bottles.
It's an orange wine like no others. Part Sauvignon Blanc and part Morillon (Chardonnay), held on average for about 9 months on the skins, with almost two years of aging in old wooden barrels.
Sepp felt inspired by orange wine legend Josko Gravner, and following his lead has created a wine so complex that the wine keeps changing constantly in the glass.
Think candied fruit, honey, ginger, almonds, jasmine, mint and oriental spices. Drink now over a long period of time, or let time do its work and drink over a number of years.