Why it matters
The producer
Manfred and Heidi Tement work with sons Armin and Stefan and daughter in law Monika. The range covers regional, village and single vineyard wines from South Styria, with Zieregg planted to Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon. The estate's wines move from broad regional blends to bottles tied to named places.
The family works with hand harvested grapes, spontaneous fermentation and maturation in barrels and tanks selected for the site. That combination keeps the range close to vineyard names, grape varieties and cellar time.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Three South Styrian villages shape the address of the wines: Ehrenhausen, Gamlitz and Kitzeck-Sausal. Each village supplies a different geographic frame for the labels, while the range also reaches named vineyard wines.
Zieregg is the most famous South Styrian site associated with Tement. Both Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon are planted there, placing the two varieties together in the estate's best known vineyard setting.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The grapes are harvested by hand at the right time, fermented spontaneously and individually vinified and matured in barrels and tanks matched to the site. Spontaneous fermentation uses naturally occurring yeasts instead of an added commercial culture, which can leave more variation between lots.
Single vineyard wines mature in large neutral oak barrels for eighteen to twenty four months and are bottled without filtration. Neutral oak contributes less oak flavour than new barrels, while extended maturation allows texture to build. Sulfur is withheld during vinification and ageing, then a small amount is added one month before bottling.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range rises from regional wines through village wines to single vineyard bottlings. Regional wines sit at the entry level, village wines represent the terroir of their village, and single vineyard wines occupy the top level.
Kalk & Kreide is the flagship regional Südsteiermark Sauvignon Blanc, made from fruit gathered across fifty sites. It ferments spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and spends six months on its lees before release. Among the named wines, the 2023 Morillon Muschelkalk adds a vintage specific expression to the range.