In January 2023, I visited Franz Stromeier's winery in Austria.
A gathering of unique producers from the organic powerhouse of Austria.
Although it is a small region, it has become one of the most popular production areas in recent years.
The head of the family, Franz, came to Japan for the first time in 2017.
Since we were together most of the time during his stay in Japan, we became good friends and have been in touch ever since.
It was a touching reunion as a long-held dream finally came true...
The village of St. Stefan is about 30 minutes by car from Graz, Austria's second largest city. Franz's home is located at an altitude of 430m.
The undulating, tranquil and beautiful hills are lined up, and the view from the house is truly spectacular...
From Franz's life.
He is a vegetarian.
A simple dish made with home-grown pesticide-free vegetables, homemade olive oil, and herbal salt.
The curry made by Franz, who doesn't understand even after hearing the recipe, is really delicious...
Vegetables harvested in the summer are stored in a giant freezer, and tomatoes and bell peppers are turned into sauce and bottled.
There are many vegetables that grow well even in the snow, and he harvested them right before his meal and bring them to the table.
Franz's parents' house is about a 10-minute walk from his house, and right next to it is a 3ha farm that Franz inherited from his father.
Brouwer Wildbacher is an indigenous Steiermark variety planted in 1975.
Of course, it is pesticide-free and fertilizer-free.
Everyone who visits is amazed at this jungle-like vineyard that has hardly been pruned...
Among the vines are walnut trees and apple trees.
The field right next to his parents' house is about 3 hectares, of which 2.3 hectares grow grapes and 0.8 hectares grow an endless variety of vegetables and fruits.
Franz said that the most important thing in cultivation is variety.
It is important that there are many types of life and many animals in one field.
``Downy mildew, which is originally harmful, is also a combination of microorganisms, mushrooms, small animals, and animals that target small animals.
I'm looking for a field of nature so that no single life form violates any other existence.
By removing even one harm, the life forms that need it disappear and the balance is disrupted.
The farm is built by respecting the balance of both plant and animal life forms. This is the most important thing. ”
Animals that come to the fields include deer, rabbits, and lizards.
Moles eat earthworms and till the soil. And foxes and birds are hunting moles.
Further down the field is a self-made pond, and a sauna with a wood stove that Franz built by himself during the coronavirus pandemic in 2021.
We visited three different fields in an area called Badgum. Temperature 10℃, 8km from home.
The field is 100 meters from the top to the bottom, and the slope is 50 degrees at the largest part.
Lots of deer tracks. In winter, they come to eat grass.
↑Franz's right-hand man Walter
There are sparkling cut silver stones all over the field. It's layered and soft enough to peel off with your hands.
The soil in Franz's field is quite different from that of Tscheppe et al.'s field (Oppok), and there is no calcareous content.
It consists mainly of loam and clay soils. The soil of Badgum has many places with stones on the surface.
The mountain in the background is the border with Slovenia.
↑Summer photo before harvest
Fresh garlic leaves are growing everywhere, and he pick them and use them in soups.
Franz finds a dandelion and eats it.
In February, in order to participate in the natural wine event "La Dive" held in Saumur, France,
An 8-hour drive from Austria to the Alsace region. Dine at the 1 star restaurant "Thierry Schwartz".
The next day, we went to the Loire, where the event was held.
we joins Franz's long-time friends Ewald (Wertlich) and Sepp muster there.
We stayed together in a cute cottage run by an lovely elderly couple.
On February 4th and 5th, I was helping out at Franz's tasting booth at La Dive Bouteille.
Approximately 200 wineries, mainly from France, participated in the event. 8 from Austria.
Franz's booth is always busy and surrounded by many people.
By country, the overwhelming majority of people who come for tastings come from the United States, followed by wine-related people and producers from all over France. There were also many Catalans.
It was also a thrilling reunion to see many of the producers I had been involved with from my previous job participating!
I was happy that everyone seemed to be in good spirits and that they still making delicious wine...
After driving 200km on the German autobahn, we returned to Austria and had a tasting at the cellar.
Franz was as satisfied as in 2021! Even before the assemblage, I was already impressed...
Bottling, labeling, and packing 11,000 bottles of sparkling wine. Assist with setting bottles into machines and packing.
Fermentation takes about two weeks, and the temperature is raised slightly in a room in the underground cellar, where the food is stored. Scheduled for release in a month and a half.
Helping with barrel cleaning at night.
His daughter Ramona, 20 years old (back)
His son Simon came from Switzerland and stayed for one night.
Tasting wine together.
The next day, the three of us went to Graz, Austria's second largest city.
At the end of February, my last visit was to Croatia, a three-hour drive from his home, where Franz's Olive Garden is located. It is located 1 km from the Adriatic coast called San Lorenzo.
The olive trees on the land he purchased two years ago are 150 to 200 years old.
Although he harvested for the first time last year, it was quite a small amount, so he made oils only for his family and friend.
↑Olives just harvested this year. The yield is the same as last year.
In addition to olive trees, there are also apricot, plum, apple, and cherry trees.
he said he would like to increase the production of olive oil, and try producing fruits (lemons and oranges).
Lemons and oranges are difficult to grow in Steiermark, so he wants to spend some time in a warm place,he said.
Franz, who loves the sea, plans to spend more time in Croatia.
At an altitude of 1000m, at a ski resort above the clouds
A one month stay that passed by in the blink of an eye.
I learned many things from Franz, not only about wine making, but also about how to live a life.
We have just received a 22 year vintage wine here in Japan.
Although the production volume is small, all cuvées have arrived luxuriously!
Back vintage items that miraculously remained!
(I have nothing but gratitude to BMO, the import company where I worked before...)
Some of the limited edition cuvées are not listed in the online shop, but we hope that as many people as possible will try Franz's wines.
