Weingut Tement sits on the ragged edge of Southern Styria, right where Austria leans into Slovenia, and it feels less like a winery and more like a family writing their story directly into limestone. Manfred Tement took over the tiny estate in 1979, steering it away from the easy comfort of bulk Welschriesling and into something bolder—Sauvignon Blanc and Morillon that spoke with clarity, nerve, and a sense of place. That gamble not only transformed his family’s fortunes, it shifted the trajectory of an entire region. Today, his sons Armin and Stefan, alongside Armin’s wife Monika, carry the torch. Together they’ve converted every steep hillside to organic farming, and in 2022 they became Austria’s largest Demeter-certified biodynamic estate—a title they wear lightly, as if it’s simply the natural way of being.
The Tement vineyards are anything but ordinary. Zieregg, Grassnitzberg, Wielitschberg—these names carry weight among those who chase wines with real soul. Beneath them lies an ancient seabed of coral limestone, marl, and slate that gives their bottles that electric, stony backbone. But there’s nothing showy about the way they work. Grapes are harvested by hand, fermentations bubble away on native yeasts, élevage takes place in neutral steel or large barrels, and sulphur is barely touched until bottling. The goal isn’t flash—it’s honesty.
That honesty comes through most clearly in wines like Kalk & Kreide, their regional calling card, stitched together from more than fifty parcels into a white that’s sharp, herbal, and chalky in all the right ways. At the top sits Zieregg, where each slope and corner has its own character: the crisp, athletic tension of Kår, the spice and warmth of Kapelle, the sheer gravitas of Steilriegel. Then there are the hidden treasures- the blends without added sulphur, the Pinot Noir bottled more for family than market, or the mysterious “XT,” a Sauvignon Blanc left to rest on its lees for years until it feels less like a wine and more like a meditation.
What makes Tement unforgettable is the balance they strike: rebellious enough to break free from the old Styrian script, but grounded enough to never lose touch with the land that defines them. These are not wines that shout. They hum, they whisper, they draw you in. And once you’re there, it’s hard to leave.
