Styria Holidays to Savor for Connoisseurs

Styria Holidays to Savor for Connoisseurs

That the Styria is a real paradise for gourmets and connoisseurs, we have at our Wine tours through Austria at the Long Table in Graz and at the South Styrian Wine Route Experienced. Here you can appreciate the delights of the region, which are produced on farms, wineries, distilleries, chocolate factories and cheese dairies. A journey through Styria becomes a treat for the palate if you take the time to delve deeper into the specialties of this region Austria busy, taste them and get to know their producers. A Styrian holiday for connoisseurs with visits to the producers of delicacies from the region is an experience that you will not forget.

 

 

We go in search of the background for the products that you come across in Styria at every step and come across a motto that all producers here seem to follow: "Live your dream in Styria"! At this point, we will present to you why this is so and what this means in detail.

 

 

Gourmet vacation in Styria

For three days we are on the road in the volcanic land around the Riegersburg in south-east Styria, in the wine region on the South Styrian and Schilcher Wine Route and on the oil trail that leads us to the pumpkin seed oil producers in west Styria. We cross landscapes with volcanic cones, vineyards where the wines of southern Styria mature, visit the pumpkin seed oil mills of western Styria on the "bottle train" and take side routes to the winegrowers on the Schilcher Wine Route. We experience three days that couldn't be more varied.

 

 

 

 

We get an introduction and overview of the Styrian region of pleasure in the Vinofaktur Genussregal in Ehrenhausen (address: An der Mur 13, A-8462 Vogau) just a few kilometers from the Graz - Spielfeld motorway. Here we can get an overview of the products that are available in Styria. From pumpkin seed oil to vinegar that tastes like honey, to ham that ranks among the best in the world and wine that even kings like. "This is how southern Styria tastes" is the motto of the gourmet shelf. There are other areas for connoisseurs. There we get to know chocolate with surprising ingredients, or designer cheese with extras that amaze us. They are inventive, the farmers and entrepreneurs who refine the products of Styria.

Vinofaktur pleasure shelf in Ehrenhausen
On the Mur 13
8472 Vogau

Tel. +43 3453 40677320

 

Therefore, this motto applies to almost everyone we meet on our journey:

 

 

Live your dream on a Styrian holiday

Almost every producer we meet has a story that fits this saying: some struggled to find success, others were on the brink of failure and then got back on their feet. But one thing is common to all growers. They didn't give up and continued to work on realizing their dream of living in Styria, even under the most adverse circumstances. We present four of them here.

Josef Zotter - Chocolate determines his life

Josef Zotter was broke once before and, together with his wife, was forced to go back to his home village of Bergl, where - instead of giving up and looking for something else - he continued his dream job in the barn of his parents' farm: chocolatier to be and create the best chocolate in the world. His first business in the big city was unsuccessful, and on his home farm in Styria he began - together with friends and acquaintances - to redevelop his dream of a chocolate paradise.

 

 

And this time he achieved a masterpiece: he developed the process of producing handmade chocolate, an operation which he adopted from paper manufacture. Melted chocolate is spread on a flat surface together with a wide variety of ingredients and then cut into bars. When it comes to the ingredients that Zotter uses to refine his chocolates, he is very inventive. It can happen that a fish chocolate or an asparagus chocolate is created. On our tour of Zotter's chocolate factory in Bergl, for example, we tasted a wonderfully tasting apple balsamic vinegar chocolate. Don't be put off by the often adventurous flavors. The Zotter chocolates all taste great. And they testify to the divine humor that this man did not lose even during the worst years of his life. A tour of the Zotter chocolate factory is pure pleasure for all the senses.

Zotter chocolate factory
Bergl 56,
8333 Riegersburg

Tel. +43 3152 5554

 

 

 Franz Habel - his goal: the best ham in the world

Franz Habel has almost reached his goal, the Austrian gourmet magazine Falstaff is already lining up its Vulcano ham the ten best varieties of ham worldwide, This is what the magazine calls him in the same breath as Spanish jamon Iberico or Italian Parma ham. A great honor that we are very proud of at Vulcano.

But that was not always the case: the development of the Vulcano ham began with the consideration of whether the pork breeding of the Habels should be abandoned or continued under other circumstances. When Petar asked how the idea of ​​making such a ham came about, Bettina Habel (Franz Habel's wife) replied: "Out of necessity". A few decades ago, the Habels faced the decision - like many farmers in Styria - whether it would still be worthwhile to run their farm or whether, like so many before them, they should stop it altogether. Generating profit with pork was and still is a difficult task.

 

 

Vulcana brought luck to Franz Habel

"And then Franz dreamed of" Vulcana ", one of his pigs," says Vulcano's introductory film in Auerbach in Styria (address: Eggreith 26, A-8330 Auersbach), in which the history of the creation of the ham factory is presented. The development was certainly not quite as romantic as it is shown in the film, but Franz Habel set about improving the reputation of the ham. "Today, many children no longer know where ham comes from and certainly not how it is made," explains Erwin Wendler, Vulcano's sales manager. “Sometimes children fall over when we lead them through our pigsty. And often the comment comes afterwards: 'In the future I will not eat pork, but only sausage.' It's sad that the relationship with our food is so artificial now, isn't it? ”And we agree with him.

If you want to learn a little more about how the delicious Vulcano ham is made, you can get a good insight into the Vulcano ham factory and take a look into the "ham heaven", where the legs mature into the tasty Vulcano ham in at least 15 months. A feast for the eyes and the senses!

Vulcano ham factory
Auersbach 26
8330 Feldbach

Tel: 43 3114 2151

 

 

 

The Polz family produces wine that even kings like

Wine growing along the South Styrian Wine Route is not easy, as it grows on steep slopes where everything has to be done by hand. The use of machines is not possible in these locations. And so harvest helpers are sought every year at harvest time in autumn. "Everyone is welcome. We don't send anyone away, ”says Lukas Polz, who already knows his parents' business very well when he is young and leads us through the wine cellars on Grassnitzberg. “We even get inquiries from doctors and lawyers from Munich who want to help with the wine harvest. And we are happy about it. "

 

 

Before the times of the Schengen Agreement, when the border to Slovenia was not as permeable as it is today, the vineyards of the Polz family were quite remote. The border to the neighboring country is only a few hundred meters away from her winery. We drive from ours Hotel in Gut Poessnitzberg * through Slovenia – the shortest route between the vineyards and the estate. "That has changed in the meantime, but it's still hard work to grow wine here," says Lukas Polz.

 

 

The fact that the Clan Polz family manages this with flying colors is shown on the one hand by the Sauvignon Blancs and Spumantes that they produce and on the other by the fact that their Sauvignon Blanc Therese was even liked by the Swedish royal family, as it was made at the wedding of Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling served to the wedding guests, a fact of which the Polz winery is particularly proud. A visit to their winery is a must on a Styrian holiday for connoisseurs.

Polz winery
Am Grassnitzberg 39
8472 Strasse in Styria

Tel. +43 3453 23010

 

 

Austria's Cheese Artist at Fromagerie Riegersburg

Bernhard Gruber greets us with his daughter in his arms and gives us an insight into his work as a cheese artist during our Styrian vacation. He's a cheese "designer" and when I ask him how you become something like that, he just laughs and says: "There's no training for that. I'm a sommelier and chef, but what I do here is my own creation.” These are exactly the types of cheese he offers.

 

 

Gruber buys the cheese from alpine dairymen and makes cheese works of art out of it. None of his cheeses are aged in his storage rooms for less than a year. He also refines the cheeses with surprising ingredients. These include meadow herbs as well as Zotter chocolate. He scrapes the rind off some wheels of cheese only to create a new one that is more flavorful. Gruber creates cheese creations such as Vulkanland beer cheese or Zotter(sc)himmel. Its cheese varieties are part of a Styrian holiday for gourmets.

A tip for your Styrian holiday: You should bring time to visit the Fromagerie Riegersburg. There you have the opportunity to taste these cheese creations with a glass of wine. Only then does the visitor understand the variety of flavors that are created in Gruber's hands from the region's mountain cheese.

Käsekunst Manufactory in Riegersburg
Bergl 2
8333 Bergl

Tel. +43 3153 71473

This is how we experience our Styria vacation for connoisseurs

They are honest, persevering and maybe a little stubborn, the Styrians. Don't let yourself be thrown off the path you've taken so quickly. No matter how great the adversity to be overcome. If you are convinced of something, carry it through to the end. At least that's the case with those we met on our trip. They are friendly, lovable and hospitable. We felt very comfortable with the hosts on our journey of discovery through Styria's cuisine, which took us to the region's highlights for gourmets. We're sure! That wasn't the last time that we would spend a holiday in Styria for connoisseurs. There is so much to discover here.

 

 

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Here you will find the Hotels in Styria, which we tested ourselves during our Styria holiday and can recommend

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Travel organization for your Styria holiday for connoisseurs:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Easy access by plane, train and bus

For example, book your journey here by flight, bus or train*. Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss will follow Vienna. Also drive Long-distance buses * to Vienna. You can then rent a car from there. It is also possible to travel by train to Graz.  Timetable and booking*.

Book your rental car here:

Rent a car cheaply and conveniently online *

Book accommodation online here:

Hotels in Styria* .

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Do you know this?

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• Three hotels for connoisseurs in Styria
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You can find travel tips on culinary delights, for example, in our TravelWorldOnline. You can also find tips on wine and drinks under Wine tourism - wine regions. More slow travel Travel Tips is finally available at this link. Also discover others Wine regions in Austria.

Source Styria vacation for connoisseurs: research on site with invitation from Enjoy Travel Austria and Styria Tourism. Our opinions definitely remain our own.

Text Styria vacation for connoisseurs: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Videos: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline