# Graf Sauvignon (2020)

- **Producer:** Weingut Sepp & Maria Muster
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Sauvignon Blanc
- **Region:** Steiermark, Austria
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €42
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–14 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, lemon, orange, white pepper, fennel, smoke, resinous, dried apricot, marmalade, hay, honey

## About this wine

Weingut Sepp & Maria Muster is a pioneering biodynamic winery situated in Südsteiermark, Austria. Sepp and Maria took over the family estate in 2000, immediately transitioning all vineyards to biodynamic agriculture. Located on steep terraced slopes at around 450 meters elevation, the vines grow on Opok—a unique local soil composed of limestone marl and clayey silt. Muster is a key member of Schmecke das Leben, a collective of South Styrian natural winemakers dedicated to minimal intervention.

## Interesting facts

- The skin-fermented orange Sauvignon Blanc is named 'Gräfin' ('Countess'), acting as the feminine counterpart to the estate's direct-pressed 'Graf' white wine line.
- The vineyard soil, known as Opok, is a rare regional mix of limestone marl and clay silt that confers strong mineral structure.
- Sepp Muster co-founded Schmecke das Leben, a celebrated association of South Styrian natural winemaking pioneers.

## Food pairing

The structural complexity, firm skin-contact tannins, and high natural acidity of this orange wine enable it to cut through rich, fatty meats such as roasted pork belly and duck. Its savory, earthy depth bridges beautifully with aged hard cheeses, cured meats, and roasted root vegetables, while the lack of sugar keeps savory matches crisp and harmonious.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested from 30 to 40-year-old biodynamically farmed vines, the grapes are destemmed and undergo spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts on the skins for 2 to 4 weeks in 2,400-liter wooden casks. The wine is then aged for approximately 23 months in neutral oak barrels of 1,200 and 2,400 liters. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with zero added sulfur, capturing the authentic expression of the grape skins and soil.