Blog
Bona Fide Naturalist: Werlitsch vom Opok
Wineries like Werlitsch in Austria's Styria region perpetuate those dreamy biodynamic farm vibes we've seen springing up in Eastern Europe. Sure, the scenes are breathtaking and make for a good selling point, but what winemaker Ewald Tscheppe produces from his opok-rich soils restores our faith in the far reaches of natural wine.
Our team once blind-tasted the Ex Vero I together. It had a matchstick quality on the nose, followed by white florals, fresh citrus, coconut milk-like texture, and electric acidity on the palate. Still, the wine's focal point was its lively energy and slightly waxy texture. I guessed it was from the Jura, thinking it had a Burgundy gone rogue feeling, but it turned out to be a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon (aka Chardonnay). Ex Vero is a three-part series showcasing the varied levels of altitude and soil composition on Werlitsch's steep hillside. These vines grow on limestone and clay soil rich in minerals and marine fossils, which locals refer to as opok. Frankly, the wines are unlike anything you'll taste from Austria or elsewhere.
Ewald and his friends discovered biodynamics while studying wine in the early 1980s. As a true devotee of the naturalist movement, he believes that nature always does it better—for him, that means gravity-flow winemaking, natural yeast, no temperature control, and no sulfur. In 2004, Ewald began to apply biodynamics to his family's estate, which also inhabits fruit trees, wild herbs, vegetables, and forests.
Shop Werlitsch
Recent Articles
-
A Tribute to California Grenache April 28, 2023
-
Dreamers of Vittoria: 2021 COS Release April 28, 2023
-
The Beat of a Different Drum: Giovanni Canonica Barolo April 28, 2023
-
Rising Star in Verzy: Adrien Renoir Champagne April 28, 2023
-
Baden Benchmark: 2020 Enderle & Moll Release March 27, 2023
Tags
- Abruzzo
- Aged
- Albarino
- Albillo
- Aligote
- Alpine
- Alsace
- Altesse
- Alto Piemonte
- Amarone
- American Oak
- Anjou
- Antonio Galloni
- Apertif
- Arbois
- Arbois-Pupillin
- Argentina
- Austria
- Avize
- Ayl
- Baden
- Bandol
- Barbaresco
- Barolo
- Beaujolais
- Beaune
- Beer
- Belgium
- Bianco
- Bien Nacido
- Bierzo
- Biodynamic
- Blanc de Blancs
- Bordeaux
- Botti
- Bourgogne
- Bourgueil
- Breze
- Brouilly
- Brunello di Montalcino
- Brut
- Burgundian
- Burgundy
- Cabernet Franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- California
- Campania
- Canary Islands
- Cannonau
- Carbonic
- Carema
- Carignan
- Carricante
- Cellar Worthy
- Cerasuolo
- Chablis
- Chambolle Musigny
- Champagne
- Chardonnay
- Charly Foucault
- Chassagne Montrachet
- Chateauneuf du Pape
- Chavignol
- Chehalem Mountains
- Chenin Blanc
- Chianti Classico
- Chinon
- Chiroubles
- Cider
- Cinsault
- Clairette
- Clos
- Columbia Gorge
- Cool Climate
- Coombsville
- Cornas
- Corsica
- Cortese
- Cote Chalonnaise
- Cote de Beaune
- Cote de Brouilly
- cote de nuits
- Cote Rotie
- Coteaux de Dijon
- Cotes des Blancs
- Cotes du Jura
- Cotes du Rhone
- Crozes Hermitage
- Dauvissat
- Destemmed
- Diatomaceous
- Dijon
- Dolcetto
- Dolomites
- Dominique Lafon
- Dry Riesling
- Ecueil
- Eola-Amity Hills
- Eric Asimov
- Etna
- Extra Brut
- Fiano di Avellino
- Fleurie
- Fort Ross-Seaview
- France
- Frappato
- French Alps
- Friuli
- Galicia
- Gamay
- Gang of Four
- Garnacha
- Gattinara
- Germany
- gevrey chambertin
- Giachino
- Gigondas
- Glou Glou
- Good Value
- Gran Reserva
- Grand Cru
- Granite
- Gravel
- Grenache
- Grenache Gris
- Grosser Ring
- Grosses Gewachs
- Haut Medoc
- Haut-Medoc
- Hermitage
- IGT
- Italy
- Jacquere
- Jancis Robinson
- Jon Bonne
- José Pastor
- Jura
- Kermit Lynch
- Kimmeridgian Limestone
- Kimmeridgian Soil
- Kupp
- Lambic
- Langhe
- Languedoc
- Late Release
- Le Mesnil
- Left Bank
- Left Bank Bordeaux
- Les Riceys
- Lessona
- Limestone
- Loire
- Loire Valley
- Louis/Dressner
- Low Sulfur
- Macabeau
- Macon
- Madrid
- Malvasia
- Margaux
- Marsannay
- Mascarello
- Mediterranean
- medoc
- Melon de Bourgogne
- Mencia
- Mendocino
- Mercurey
- Merlot
- Meursault
- Minerality
- Mondeuse
- Monopole
- Mont Blanc
- Montagne de Reims
- Montefalco
- Montepulciano
- Monthelie
- Montlouis sur Loire
- Morey-Saint-Denis
- Morgon
- Mosel
- Mourvedre
- Muller Thurgau
- Muscadet
- Nahe
- Napa Valley
- Natural Wine
- Neal Rosenthal
- Nebbiolo
- Nerello Mascalese
- New California
- New Oak
- New Release
- New York Times
- Next Generation
- No Sulfur
- Noble Reduction
- Northen Rhone
- Northern Italy
- Northern Rhone
- Nuits Saint Georges
- Nuits-Saint-Georges
- Oak Knoll District
- Oakville
- Old School
- Old Vines
- Old World
- Orange
- Oregon
- Organic
- Ouille
- Passetoutgrain
- Patagonia
- Penedes
- Pfalz
- Piedmont
- Pineau d'Aunis
- Pinot Noir
- Ploussard
- Pommard
- Portugal
- Poulsard
- Pre-Phylloxera
- Premier Cru
- Priorat
- Provence
- Puligny Montrachet
- Puligny-Montrachet
- Radda
- Rajat Parr
- Raul Perez
- Red
- Regnie
- Reserva
- Reserve
- Rheinhessen
- Rhone
- Rhone Valley
- Rias Baixas
- Ribeira Sacra
- Riesling
- Right Bank
- Rioja
- riserva
- Rose
- Rosso
- Roussillon
- Rully
- Ruwer Valley
- Saar
- Sagrantino
- Saint Aubin
- Saint Bris
- Saint Esteph
- saint joseph
- Sancerre
- Sangiovese
- Sans Soufre
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Barbara County
- Santa Cruz Mountains
- Santa Maria Valley
- Sardinia
- Sashi Moorman
- Saumur
- Saumur-Champigny
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Savagnin
- Savigny les Beaune
- Savoie
- Sciacacarellu
- Semi-Carbonic
- Serine
- Seven Springs Vineyard
- Sicily
- Sierra de Gredos
- Single Vineyard
- Skin Contact
- Sonoma
- Sonoma Coast
- Sour Beer
- Southern France
- Southern Rhone
- Spain
- Sparkling
- St. Helena
- Sta. Rita Hills
- Stainless Steel
- Styria
- Summer
- Syrah
- Tempranillo
- Teroldego
- To Kalon
- Touriga Nacional
- Trebbiano
- Trentino
- Trousseau
- Tuscany
- UC Davis
- Umbria
- US
- USA
- Valle D'Aosta
- Valpolicella
- Value
- Veneto
- Verduno
- Vermentino
- Vermouth
- Vieilles Vignes
- vielles vignes
- Villages
- Vinho Verde
- Vinous
- Viognier
- Vittoria
- Volcanic
- Volnay
- Vom Boden
- Vosne Romanee
- Vosne-Romanee
- Vouvray
- White
- White Burgundy
- Whole Cluster
- Willamette Valley
- Wine Advocate
- Wink Lorch
- Woman Owned
- Zev Rovine
- Zinfandel