Schilcher rosé challenge - blind identify the unique pink

Home to Schilcher, a unique pink wine made only from the indigenous Blauer Wildbacher grape grown nowhere else on Earth. The spritzy, tart wine pairs perfectly with pumpkin seed oil and local ham. A wine found in no other country.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Walk Austria's Most Beautiful Place — Hochgrail Ridge History · Free

   The Hochgrail vineyard: 1.5km of wine cellar cottages where Blauer Wildbacher has grown for 440 years. Voted Austria's most beautiful place on national ORF television.

   On the ORF national television programme '9 Places — 9 Treasures,' Hochgrail ridge was voted the single most beautiful place in all of Austria. Walk this 1.5km of narrow Kellerstöckel (wine cellar cottages) above St. Stefan ob Stainz, each one the private cellar for the 10-20 meter vineyard strip behind it. At the far end, a Klapotetz bird-scarer windmill clatters on windy days — 40kg wooden hammers keeping birds off the Blauer Wildbacher vines Archduke Johann planted here in the 19th century. Drive 5 minutes north of Stainz following signs for Hochgrail, park at the ridge base, and walk the full 1.5km (20 minutes each way). Peer through cellar windows to see bottles stacked in the dark, count the cottages, notice how vine strips are narrow enough that neighbors could shake hands across them.

   Backup: If the road is muddy (common after autumn rain), the Schilcher Wine Trail educational path runs parallel on firmer ground — follow the wooden signs with the Schilcher bottle symbol.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Crack the Blind Tasting — Spot Schilcher by Touch and Drool Wine · Price: low

   Three pink wines, no labels. One is Schilcher, made from a grape that exists on only 611 hectares in the world. The blind tasting test is physiological: the wine that makes you drool is the one.

   Friedrich makes SEVEN different expressions of Blauer Wildbacher that nobody else on Earth produces. At Schilcherweingut Friedrich (Langegg 18, St. Stefan ob Stainz, +43 3463 81252), request the blind tasting: three pink wines, no labels. Your physiological tools: SALIVATION TEST — hold your mouth open after tasting. If you begin salivating intensely, that's Schilcher. Provence rosé averages 3-3.5g acid per liter; Schilcher runs significantly higher. Your salivary glands cannot lie. COLOR: Schilcher shimmers vivid pink to cranberry with orange hints (the name means 'iridescent' in Middle High German). FINISH: Wait five seconds after swallowing — nettle, white pepper, wild strawberry-crossed-with-currant means Schilcher. Ask: 'Können Sie mir eine Blindverkostung anbieten?' (Can you offer me a blind tasting?). Budget €8-15 for 3-5 wines.

   Backup: If Friedrich is closed, Weingut Langmann is 100 metres away at Langegg 23 (+43 3463 6100). Ask them to pour the Schilcher Klassik 2025 (€9.20 at source) alongside any other rosé. The contrast is immediate.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Find the Man Who Invented Schilcher — Schloss Stainz History · Price: low

   Archduke Johann bought Stainz Castle in 1840 and planted Blauer Wildbacher on his land. His descendants still own the castle. A museum dedicated to his life opened in May 2024.

   In 1840, Archduke Johann — the Habsburg who planted Styria's first experimental Sauvignon Blanc in 1822 — bought Stainz Castle and planted Blauer Wildbacher on his land here. Without him, there would be no Schilcher. On 11 May 2024, a brand-new museum wing opened inside the castle dedicated entirely to his life — almost nobody knows it exists yet. At Schloss Stainz (open March 1–November 30, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00, Museum Joanneum network), focus on the Archduke Johann wing and find the panel describing his 1822 experimental vineyard. From the castle terrace, locate the Hochgrail ridge to the north where you can see Friedrich's winery roof below. Point at the visible Klapotetz windmill: that ridge exists because of the man whose castle you're standing in.

   Backup: If the castle is closed (winter: December 1–February 28), the exterior and grounds remain accessible. Visit the Stainz tourist office at Hauptplatz 1 to collect the printed Schilcher wine trail map — essential for navigating Buschenschank opening calendars.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Taste the Two-Stroke Mixture — Schilcher and Brettljause Adventure · Price: low

   A Styrian author wrote that "Styrians are fuelled by a two-stroke mixture of pumpkin seed oil and Schilcher wine." Order both. Understand everything.

   The Buschenschank is a living legal artifact — Emperor Joseph II's 1784 imperial decree forbids beer, hot dishes, or anyone else's products, allowing only own wine and cold food. At Buschenschank Lazarus (Langegg an der Schilcherstraße 20, open July 23–November 30, Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun 11:00–22:00), the family has farmed Schilcher on this 570m hillside for 50 years. The tasting sequence reveals pairing logic: taste the Schilcher alone (tart acidity, strawberry-currant fruit, peppery finish), eat smoked ham, then drink Schilcher immediately after. The acidity slices through fat and amplifies both — explaining why Blauer Wildbacher survived here 440 years when other varieties failed. Order 'Ein Viertel Schilcher, bitte' (€5-8) and Brettljause (€10-15) including Steirischer Vogerlsalat with Kürbiskernöl if available.

   Backup: If Lazarus is closed (call ahead — Buschenschanks close for private events), Buschenschank Hiden vlg. Höllerhansl is at the beginning of the Hochgrail ridge — open daily 8am-6pm, Sundays on request. Walk there directly from the vineyard walk.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Visit Weingut Reiterer for traditional Schilcher production

• The wine is best young - always drink the current vintage

• Pair with Kernöl (pumpkin seed oil) and Styrian ham