Discover Carinthia's highest vineyard
A vineyard in Upper Carinthia? It's hard to believe - but it's true! In Flattach, the village at the foot of the Mölltal Glacier, is Carinthia's highest vineyard owned by the GrafenBERGER - Ernestine Berger, at an altitude of 880 meters above sea level. As the vineyard is not accessible by car, there is a weekly hike to the vineyard, including a guided tour and tasting, from the time the grapes bloom until the grape harvest.
"That sounds exciting," we thought, so we signed up for the wine blossom hike.
Registration for the hike
Since we received the information about the hike from the Flattach Tourist Office, we signed up for the hike there. You can also sign up directly with the hiking guide Sylvia Granitzer or the winemaker Ernestine Berger.
You can also book the tour online.
Meeting and starting point of the vineyard hike
The meeting point is located at the parking lot of the Hotel Fraganter Wirt in Außerfragant (9831 Flattach, Außerfragant 16). The hotel is situated right on the main road and is therefore easy to find. The parking lot offers plenty of space and is free of charge.
When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by hiking guide Sylvia Granitzer and her dog Emma. Once the small group was complete, the journey to the vineyard began and we were really excited - we hadn't been able to spot a vineyard anywhere yet.
Start of the hike & exciting stories
We started by walking from the meeting point through the small district of Außerfragant. We stopped briefly at an old farm and Sylvia told us a legend about the Perchten, who once roamed the valley and took naughty people or bad children with them...
At the edge of town, a small path—the Laaser Rundweg—leads into the forest.
The adorable dog Emma already knows the way and led us to the vineyard.
Romantic & shady hiking trail with delicious wild strawberries
After the first few meters, the path narrowed and a shady, romantic path meandered through the forest up to the Grafenberg. The densely overgrown forest protected us from the sun all the way and the temperature was pleasant.
Lots of fruity wild strawberries lined the path and gave off a wonderful scent. Of course, we didn't miss the opportunity to taste a small strawberry every now and then! 😉
Sylvia told us short and interesting stories about the surroundings, vegetation and mining in the municipality during short breaks.
Arrival at the vineyard
After about 45 minutes of walking, we realized at the end of the path that we were very close to our destination. When we spotted the winegrower who was already waiting for us, we all realized that we had arrived at our destination. But we still couldn't see any vines...
One last small clearing had to be climbed before the highest vineyard in Carinthia finally revealed itself. Indeed - at 880 metres above sea level, surrounded by breathtaking natural scenery, away from the road and civilization, wine grows.
A sip of refreshing Uhudler wine refreshed us after the hike, before we set off on a tour of the vineyard with Ernestine Berger. She told us what inspired her to start growing her own wine. In 2012, the hardworking winemaker took the initiative to have an access road built to her south-facing slope so she could then plant the first vines. What makes this particularly special is that the area where the vineyard is located has a microclimate, which is what makes viticulture in this region possible in the first place.
Guided tour through the vineyard
The winemaker has now planted 1,600 vines of the Regent, Zweigelt, Merlot, and Rössler varieties and tends to them all by herself. Whether it’s pruning the vines, tying them up, or mowing, she does it all herself. She only enlists the help of friends and acquaintances during the harvest. But she loves this work and pours all her energy and love into her “alpine” vineyard.
Culinary pleasure tour
After the tour, we were really looking forward to tasting the organic wine. The winemaker only uses natural fertilizers and "brews" her own manure from nettles, for example.
The cozy garden table had already been invitingly set. There was a huge cheese platter with various types of cheese, all made by Sylvia herself. She uses the milk from her two cows to make her own cheese. The winemaker had baked her own bread, and we were invited to help ourselves. It was simply delicious.
The snack was accompanied by 3 wines for tasting. A Zweigelt from 2015 and 2016 and a Cuvee from last year. We have to say - we are thrilled and couldn't believe that such tasty wines are produced in this location.
We can only recommend the tour to the vineyard to everyone!
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