Styria, in the south of Austria is a very beautiful wine region with rolling green hills and picturebook houses and villages. Here, right on the border with Slovenia, are the 70 hectares of brothers Erich and Walter Polz. Their grandfather started the estate in the early 20th century and father Reinhold concentrated on viticulture. The brothers took over in the 1980s and concentrated on producing high quality white wines rather than bulk production. They also bought vineyards, including the top quality Hochgrassnitzberg and Obegg and in 2002 the Tscheppe estate. Fruit is also bought in from local growers for another range of wines. The climate here is more suited to whites than reds and these form 90% of the production, mainly from Pinot Gris, Sauvignon, Traminer and Morillon, as the local clone of Chardonnay is known. Winemaking varies with the fresh, crisp ‘Styrian Classic’ style being all stainless steel while the single vineyard wines see more oak, generally large and old to soften and round out rather than dominate. Seven family members now work in the estate and there is also a connected restaurant and hotel.