Ried Zieregg IZ Reserve, Große STK Lage 2018

Wine Description for Ried Zieregg IZ Reserve Große STK Lage 2018 by Tement

Character

The IZ Reserve from Ried Zieregg represents the absolute pinnacle of Styrian Sauvignon Blanc. The abbreviation „IZ“ stands for the founders Manfred Tement and Armin Tement, who realise their most uncompromising vision of great Austrian white wine with this selection. As a Große STK Lage – part of Austria’s Traditional Wine Estates – this wine embodies the highest quality standards and strict typicity of origin. The 2018 vintage benefited from ideal ripening conditions that favoured both concentration and finesse.

Terroir & Origin

The Ried Zieregg is regarded as one of the most renowned individual vineyard sites in South Styria. The steep slopes with their Opok soils – a calcareous marl schist – fundamentally shape the character of these wines. This geological peculiarity imparts the wines with their characteristic minerality and tension. The Pannonian-Mediterranean climate of southern Styria, with warm days and cool nights, creates ideal conditions for aromatic complexity whilst maintaining freshness.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Sauvignon Blanc has found its Austrian home in South Styria and achieves world-class standards here. Tement vinifies the IZ Reserve with utmost care: selective hand harvesting, extended skin contact for additional texture, controlled fermentation and ageing on fine lees in large wooden casks. This vinification creates wines of impressive ageing potential that far transcend the typical fruitiness of young Sauvignons, instead developing depth, complexity and mineral precision.

Food Pairing Recommendations

A wine of this calibre demands ambitious cuisine: pan-fried turbot with herb sauce, scallops with cauliflower purée, asparagus with morels or aged goat’s cheese. Also an excellent choice with sushi and sashimi of the highest quality. The structure and complexity of the wine harmonises equally well with pan-fried calf’s sweetbreads or lobster in buttery preparations.