Ehrenhausen stands on the Mur river at the very edge of Austria, in the south of Styria, with Slovenia only a few minutes away, and the hills behind it are covered in vines. This is the beginning of the South Styrian Wine Road, a winding route through steep, forested ridges where every south-facing slope is planted, the farmhouses sit on top, and the whole landscape feels like a green, softer version of Tuscany, which is what the locals call it. The village is small and has an old market square with a baroque church and a castle, and a grand mausoleum built by the Eggenberg family, one of the most powerful noble houses in the Habsburg lands.
The local wines are mostly white. Sauvignon Blanc is the star, with a sharp, green character, and is joined by Welschriesling, Morillon, which is the local name for Chardonnay, and a light, tart rosé called Schilcher in the western part of the region. In the small farm taverns, the Buschenschank, which can only sell their own produce, you sit under chestnut trees at wooden tables and eat bread, cold meats, pumpkin seed oil on cheese and Kernöl-flavoured dishes. Pumpkin seed oil, dark green and nutty, is a local delicacy that appears in everything from soup to ice cream.
For riders, the lanes of the Wine Road are a pleasure, with short climbs, tight bends and views over rows of vines that roll down to the valley. The surface is mostly good, but the roads are narrow, with farm tractors and cyclists in autumn, and loose gravel at the edges of corners. Kitzeck, higher up in the Sausal hills, has some of the highest vineyards in Europe. The best time to ride is September and October, when the grapes are harvested, the light is golden, and the new wine, called Sturm, is on sale, but it is also the busiest, so book a table if you want to eat.
Fuel is available in Ehrenhausen or in Leibnitz, seven kilometres north, which is the larger town, and it is wise to fill up before climbing into the hills. Most taverns close in winter, from November to March.