Weingut Wohlmuth

Kitzeck im Sausal is the highest wine village in Austria, and the Wohlmuth family has been making wine there since 1803. The vineyards are planted on a range of slate types – red, black and phyllite – on steep slopes with gradients of up to 90%, among the steepest in the world, which calls for entirely manual work amounting to as much as 1,200 working hours per hectare. The altitude brings cold nights and acid tension, the sun gives optimal ripeness, and the slate contributes the distinct stony salinity that marks all the winery's wines. Gerhard J. Wohlmuth leads the winery, and the three wines in this chapter are classified as single vineyard wines (1STK and GSTK) on the Styrian vineyard scale. The Riesling Dr. Wunsch won A la Carte's grand cru Riesling tasting with 98 points, and the two Sauvignons stand at 95–96 in Falstaff.