# Josef Totter Muscaris (2022)

- **Producer:** Weingut Josef Totter
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Muscaris
- **Region:** Steiermark, Austria
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €25
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–10 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, peach, blossom, bread

## About this wine

Weingut Josef Totter is located in Jägerberg within Vulkanland Steiermark, Austria. Winemaker Josef Totter spent years working as a motorcycle engine designer in Austria and Italy before returning home with his wife Helga in 2012 to take over the family estate. Frustrated by the heavy chemical spraying required in Styria's humid climate, Totter uprooted traditional grapevines to replant entirely with fungus-resistant PIWI varieties, becoming a pioneer of biodynamic natural wine in the region.

## Interesting facts

- Josef Totter worked as a motorcycle engine designer for KTM and Betamotor before becoming a winemaker.
- Muscaris is a fungus-resistant PIWI hybrid grape variety created by crossing Gelber Muskateller with Solaris.
- The estate converted completely to organic and biodynamic farming using PIWI grapes to avoid chemical sprays.

## Food pairing

Muscaris is a highly aromatic and high-acidity dry white wine with pronounced floral and citrus notes alongside volcanic minerality. It pairs exceptionally well with aromatic herbs, mild spices, fresh goat cheeses, and lighter proteins like freshwater fish or poultry, which complement its crisp freshness without masking its delicate nuances.

## Wine making process

Harvested entirely by hand from steep vineyards composed of volcanic clay and shell limestone, the Muscaris grapes undergo direct pressing. The juice ferments spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in large neutral 750-liter oak casks. The wine remains on its lees in barrel for approximately eleven months before bottling without fining or filtration, receiving only a tiny sulfur addition at bottling.