Styrian Wine Road

The Styrian Wine Road — Südsteirische Weinstraße in German — winds along the Austrian-Slovenian border through one of the most seductive wine landscapes in Central Europe. Stretching roughly 25 kilometres between Ehrenhausen and Leutschach, the route is often called the Styrian Tuscany, and the comparison is not an idle one: the rolling hills here really do share something of the same warm intimacy and sun-drenched beauty as the Chianti countryside, though the vineyards are planted with Welschriesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscat rather than Sangiovese. This is a region that rewards those who drive slowly, stop often, and eat and drink well.

The road itself is narrow, winding, and perched on ridgelines that look south into Slovenia and north into the Austrian wine villages below. You will drive past traditional Buschenschank taverns — farm wineries where producers are legally permitted to serve their own wine and simple cold food — and the temptation to stop at one is best surrendered to rather than resisted. The village of Gamlitz is the informal capital of the region, and Leutschach with its Weinstraße visitor centre makes a fine endpoint. The border between the two countries runs along the very crest of the hill in several places, meaning you can stand with one foot in Austria and one in Slovenia while looking out over a landscape of impeccable geometry.

A VW T3 is an excellent companion for the Styrian Wine Road. The hills here are genuine — the road does climb and dip continuously — but the gradients are short and manageable compared to the alpine passes. First or second gear will be needed on some slopes, but you will never be there for long. The narrow lanes suit the van's footprint well, and the low speed limits through the villages make overtaking stress a non-issue. Leave plenty of time: this is a route measured in glasses of wine and afternoon conversations rather than kilometres covered.

The best seasons are late spring and autumn. May brings the fresh green of the new vine shoots against the red Styrian soil, and the landscape has a delicate, optimistic quality. October is harvest season: the hills smell of fermenting grape must, the wine taverns are at their most animated, and the golden light on the vine leaves is extraordinary. Midsummer is warm and pleasant but the road can become surprisingly busy with Austrian day-trippers. Avoid weekends in July and August if you want the lanes to yourself. The region is compact enough that you can drive the whole route in a morning and spend the afternoon sitting outside a Buschenschank with a carafe of local Sauvignon.