Location: Leutschach, South Styria
Hectares: 5
Farming: Certified biodynamic
Winemaking: Zero sulfur, wild yeasts, small and large old barrels, lots of whole cluster

Herbert and Carina Sternat represent the smallest of our growers at just a tiny 5 hectares of vines (we’ll be getting 1 pallet of wine a year!), but the wines are utterly outstanding and we couldn’t pass up the chance to include them in the High Five family. This is the first time that Sternat Lenz has been in the US, and like many of our Styrian growers, Herbert and Carina grow orchard fruits, have a large garden, and both a buschenschank and b&b (plus two young children!), and their wine production is really a byproduct of their farm and their family’s land. Herbert is ardently against following trends, nor does he have a deep commitment to old-fashioned or historical styles. Rather he makes the kinds of wines he likes to drink.

All of Herbert’s wines are called ‘Vom Opok” or From Opok, referencing the extremely special soil found in their vineyard. Opok is a friable marl that has a bit of clay and silt in it, and looks a bit like slate. Deposited here when the area was covered by the sea, it’s found in pockets around South Styria. Because of its particular nature and rarity, there are a few Styrian winegrowers who name it on their labels. Opok can be either brown if it has a high sand content, or bluish if it contains higher percentages of clay. 

More info coming…