The Schilcher Wine Trail
Rendezvous with a natural beauty. On the Schilcher Wine Road
you can immerse yourself in the home of the invigorating Blaue Wildbacher grape, which produces the rosé-coloured Schilcher; a wine with aromas such as redcurrant, wild strawberry, raspberry, nettle and paprika.
The starting point for the Schilcher Wine Trail is the Ligist flower market. From there it continues via Gundersdorf/St. Stefan ob Stainz up to Langegg/Greisdorf, and on towards the Erzherzog-Johann-Markt Stainz. Starting from Stainz, the wine trail leads to Deutschlandsberg, Aichegg, Bad Schwanberg and finally ends in Wies.
At all corners and ends of the wine trail, winemakers and wine taverns invite you to taste and enjoy a hearty West Styrian Brettljause (cold plated snack). Along the trail are also incomparable vantage points, such as at Hochgrail in the midst of the vineyards, or from Deutschlandsberg Castle to the Schilcher town below.
The extensive cycling and hiking opportunities offer diversity along the Schilcher Wine Trail. In addition to boundless mountain bike trails and gentle alpine pastures, the Schilcher Wine Trail offers scenic indulgence tours and easy hikes along the hilly vineyards; the right offer for every taste!
The Blue Wildbacher Grape
Interesting facts about the Schilcher and Schilcherland
The Blaue Wildbacher grape is a true all-rounder. Whether as an equally pressed white wine, sweet wine or sparkling wine, the grape has a lot to offer with its diversity. It is even vinified as a strong red wine.
- Schilcher is the icon of the region. Even thorough connoisseurs of all European wine regions rave about the Schilcherland. Why? Because Austria's smallest wine-growing region with its 611 hectares of vineyards is an amazement in itself.
- This crisp, tart, berry-like, mineral rosé wine thrives on gneiss and slate slopes, and was probably grown as early as 400 BC by the Celts in the area of modern day Styria and the former Lower Styria from a native wild grape.
- Rosé wine owes its name to its iridescent play of colours, which can range from light to dark pink.
- The promotion of Schilcher production in Western Styria goes back to Archduke Johann (1782-1859), who was looking for a new economic mainstay for the region.
- "Schilcher" is a protected designation throughout the EU. Since 1976, there has been a law to protect the variety and origin of Schilcher, which only allows the designation "Schilcher" for wine that is made only of 100% Blauer Wildbacher grapes, grown in the region of Styria.
- But what does Schilcher actually taste like? Schilcher is a wine with aromas such as currants, wild strawberries, raspberries, nettles and paprika. The classic Schilcher can be described as dry, lively, fresh, fruity, finely acidic and harmonious. A fruity taste experience, so to speak.
Tip: Experience how diverse the Blaue Wildbacher grape can be. Explore the Schilcher Wine Trail and discover the many winegrowers, wine taverns and direct sellers who create true delicacies from this special grape. And if you don't like wine, let the many gourmet manufactories convince you with Schilcher jelly, grape juice and more, all from this blue grape.
