Taking Liberty
Sgaminegg | Graf | Opok | Red | Orange
Nature is unpredictable. We appreciate your understanding, that not every wine is going to be always in stock. Here you’ll find a small summary of our line of wines. We want to say just enough but not too much, as we would be pleased for you to find your own words to describe what you experience with our wines.
Sgaminegg
The Winds Bride
Sgaminegg is a denotation from the Slavic language, which stands for the stony soil in this area. The grapevines for this wine will always be rooted in pure Opok, elevated slightly higher than most of our vineyards, therefore cooled by the winds coming from the Koralpe. Rooted deeply in the meager, cool stone, the vines develop complex aromas in the grapes which represent themselves in every Sgaminegg wine.
Sgaminegg
Old vines, Cuvée from Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon
Graf
Austere Beauty
“Graf” is the german word for Count. This title of nobility has been the name of our estate since its beginning. At some point we wanted to honour that name in one of our wine lines. For our Count we take old vines on meager Opok. For as long as we remember, Zweigelt, Morillon and Sauvignon Blanc have been planted in these special vineyards. For us, Graf also means centre, as the vineyard lies between the higher located Sgaminegg and the slightly lower Opok-line.
Graf Sauvignon
Graf Morillon
Old vines, meager soil
Opok
Predominant Influence
The predominant influence of the chalky marl soil for our region names one of our lines, as it influences everything with and around it. There are two forms of Opok, one being blue and having a higher content of clay compared to the other, having more sandy contents.
For this line, we consciously choose younger vines (up to 20 years), embracing the fact that they are going to show fresher, more youthful aromas.
Sauvignon vom Opok
Gelber Muskateller vom Opok
Welschriesling vom Opok
Opok (White-Cuvée)
Red
Cool Elegance
Our red grapevines were planted some decades ago, even though at that time Styria was not so well reputed as a red wine region. Times change. The slight climate changes we already see, worked in favour of our vines of Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and Blauer Wildbacher. The precise light, yet complex red wines crafted, show themselves as elegant beauties, which thrive through the reduced growth of the old vines.
Graf Zweigelt
Rotwein vom Opok (Cuvée)
Zweigelt vom Opok
Rosé vom Opok
Orange
Skin Contact
By now the world has heard about this style of wine. White grapes are treated like grapes in red wine production, which means more precisely they are fermented on the skins for a shorter or longer period of time. The skins and stems used, produce a bright orange colour. In addition to that vibrant colour, the texture of the end product is dense and highly aromatic, offering a smooth tannic structure, with a complex and bright drinking experience.
Erde
Cuvée from Sauvignon Blanc & Morillon
12 months on the skins
Gräfin
Sauvignon Blanc
About two to four weeks on the skins
The soil, the air and in between wine
The greatest of all misconceptions is that all is in order. But it is not; no order, no explanations, no answers. Shortly before his passing, our friend the artist Beppo Pliem, found his answers on the horizon and in a reduction to the essentials. Since then, his paintings adorn our bottles and are thus an expression of a natural interaction between earth, sky and grape. The wine, coming out of this symbiosis, is our own personal idea of freedom and responsibility.
SO
I L
The soil is the essential basis of our history. Our ancestors worked with it to pass it on to us, and we are doing the same for future generations. The seed we plant is our trust in nature. The fruit we receive is experience, reward for having courage to think outside the box and focusing on the essentials. We were humbled by the gifts arising from the soil, and went slowly from trying to understand to simply accepting.
Commitment
A promise for the future
From a geological point of view our soil is composed of rocky clay and silt over chalky marl subsoil, which is regionally called “Opok”. We are grounded in the belief that our soil is history and future at the same time. We ask ourselves: “How can we adapt to and work with nature?” as opposed to “How can we control nature.” Therefore, we view the vineyard as a living organism teaming up with us. All of our work efforts are aimed at retaining the vitality of the soil, the plants and the animals.
It’s that simple, and it’s that difficult. We established a dense system based on our firm belief that every step we take is “for” nature and not against it. Initial encounters with biodynamic agriculture and time spent in India and Australia opened our eyes, marking the starting line to an unconditional and restless search for vitality. It is a never-ending journey of discovery, and it keeps us moving. How could it not in this ever evolving world? The moment you stand still is the moment you missed something, because nature will not wait for you. So we don’t. We discovered quickly that the soil is where everything begins. Vitality in the soil leads to vitality in the plant, and ultimately, in every bottle of wine. We have been members of the Demeter Association since 2003, an international acknowledged biodynamic association.
VI
NE
We live in one of the most beautiful areas one could wish for. Our rooted vines, grow in all directions surrounding our estate, as if nature makes a playground of winemaking out of this special place.
Gentle Raising Methods
Everything is flowing, but some things remain the same.
The illyrian climate offers warm summers and moderately cold winters. The winds of the closely situated Koralpe play a supporting role as a cooling factor during the hot season, enabling us to harvest perfectly ripe and healthy grapes later in autumn. As in other vine growing regions, people adapted a perfectly suited training system in the course of several generations. Today, we are able to work with what was established slowly over time and has proven to be successful.
Trellising is a single wire system, which is also called reverse trellising. Based on the archetype of a vine with climbing trestles, we allow its shoots to hang loose in their natural form. For the posts we use chestnut wood poles, which support the vines on a single wire on 1,80 metres height. In our experience, there is no better system suited in our region to represent the individual character of the soil.
Like a friend, we care for our grapevines. We support them where we can, using biodynamic preparations and teas, which are based on botanical, mineral and animal substances. Like friends, they care for us too, providing us with small and highly aromatic grapes, the basis for complex wines with distinct character.
WI
ND
Our conception of making wine allows us to be free like the wind in so many ways. We appreciate, that even though we understand freedom, it also brings insecurity. Nature is just as unpredictable and having a stern plan does not always work in humans favour. Understanding and accepting is our balance to this lack of security, and we feel that we grew more open and aware because of it. As a reward you can taste the individual expression and vitality in our wines.
Patience & Tolerance
About time and the right moment
A key tool to making wine is having patience and a sense for the right moment. This applies to working in the cellar, as well as making decisions in the vineyard. We want to give the journey of the grape becoming wine as much time as it needs. Gentle handling of the grapes at harvest, spontaneous fermentation of the must, and our conscious choice of wood vessels are just a few steps on this journey. The few steps in which we interfere, are attempts to help nature rather than hindering it. We attach importance to delicate attendance rather than excessive intervention. A combination of our actions and – maybe even more importantly – our inactions are really what make our wines special, showcasing the character of the region, the personality of the grapevine and the virtue of the grape variety.
The wine in the bottle is considered the end product. We gave everything we had, we took good care of it at every stage on its journey. But now it is on its own. By no means does that mean it’s ready, or done, or set in stone. Just like a person, the wine will change in the bottle. It will go through phases, it will have its ups and downs, but through it all, it will shine with vitality and a strong backbone of complexity.
Where you will meet us
11/09–10/2025
Turin, Italy
Augusta
Turin, Italy
10/20/2025
Medana / Brda, Slovenia
Vndima – Festival No. 2
Medana / Brda, Slovenia
06/14/2025
Lovran, Croatia
Natural Wine Festival Lovran unfiltered
Lovran, Croatia
05/18/2025Karakterre
Orangerie Schlosspark Eisenstadt, Austria
Karakterre
Eisenstadt
Orangerie Schlosspark Eisenstadt, Austria
04/05/2025Soul Wine
Gasthaus Thaller
St. Veit am Vogau, Austria
Soul Wine
Vol. 8
Gasthaus Thaller
St. Veit am Vogau, Austria
02/02–03/2025La Dive
Saumur, France
La Dive
Bouteille
Saumur, France
11/10–11/2024
Turin, Italy
Augusta
Turin, Italy
11/22–23/2024
Vienna, Austria
Naturwein im Reaktor
Vienna, Austria
05/23/2024Karakterre
Orangerie Schlosspark Eisenstadt, Austria
Karakterre
Eisenstadt
Orangerie Schlosspark Eisenstadt, Austria
04/13/2024Soul Wine
Gasthaus Thaller
St. Veit am Vogau, Austria
Soul Wine
Vol. 7
Gasthaus Thaller
St. Veit am Vogau, Austria
02/04–05/2024La Dive
Saumur, France
La Dive
Bouteille
Saumur, France
11/10–11/2023Naturwein
Vienna, Austria
Naturwein
im Reaktor
Vienna, Austria
Contact
You can find our wines through our trade partners or in restaurants in the following countries: Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Israel, Canada, US, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Ireland, Greece, Taiwan, Malaysia.
Imprint
Weingut Maria & Sepp Muster
Schloßberg 38
8463 Leutschach an der Weinstraße, Austria
info@weingutmuster.com
Tel: +43 3454 70053
Member of the LWK
Trade Regulation Act: www.ris.bka.gv.at
Bezirkshauptmannschaft Leibnitz
What we feel connected to
Information about Weingut Muster
Concept & Text: Barbara Klein
Art Direction & Design: Marie Zieger
Photography: Marion Luttenberger
Translation: Helena Jordan