On Friday the 2nd of April we are joined by Erich Polz Jr. from Weingut Polz for another edition of our talk show “Cellar Talks”. Erich will join us to talk about his career in wine, the winery, their great wines and the Sud Steiermark region.

About Weingut Polz

Weingut Polz is located in the beautiful Southern Styria (Sud Steiermark) region in Austria, and established in 1912. Already in the 4th generation, this family owned winery works hard every day to bring their idea of excellence into the glass.

In addition to classic Styrian wines of a fruity and clear type, the Polz family also cultivates unmistakeable single-site (grand cru) wines full of character and personality in their vineyards. Some of the dry wines that the family produces are Sauvignon Blanc, Grauburgunder, Traminer, Riesling and Zweigelt. Next to that they make sweet and sparkling wines.

Erich Polz Jr. has been running the business since 2020 with the vision of leading the fabulous potential and valuable know-how that is in the long winemaking tradition of his family into a fruitful, healthy future. Erich’s brother Christoph is responsible for the cellar and vinification. With great confidence in every grape. Because their passion is handcraft and their skills arise directly from their origin in Southern Styria, their terroir. Weingut Polz lives sustainability. This can be found in their gentle pruning, renouncing of insecticides and glyphosates and the conversion of their vineyards to “organic”, which is already being implemented.

About Erich Polz Jr.

It is an exciting life story that Erich Polz Jr. despite being only 36 years old can look back upon. He grew up at his family’s famous winery, and the way seemed to be predetermined – namely to take over the winery together with brother Christoph at some point. At first, everything pointed in this direction: After graduating from high school in Graz, he studied viticulture, oenology and wine management at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, plus economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, in between two study visits to renowned wineries in Burgundy in France.

But Erich was still accompanied by a second passion – music. He began studying conducting at the Vienna Conservatory in 2008. He quickly matured into an aspiring conductor: in 2013 he graduated with honours.

Then came the year 2020. A year in which the family wanted to arrange the succession of the Polz winery. – The winery in Strass with the legendary Polz sites such as Grassnitzberg, Hochgrassnitzberg and Obegg, as well as the associated wine tavern. The management of the winery went to Erich Polz Jr. “It felt right from the first moment. Exactly as if I had never been away.” I have specific plans for the future: the reduction of the area under cultivation from 105 hectares to just under 80 and the conversion to organic farming”.

We are looking forward to talking to Erich and learning from his background, experiences and the winery. In the show we will also be tasting on of their wines; the Sud Steiermark DAC Sauvignon Blanc. Be sure to tune in on Instagram Live through our Dutch Wine Apprentice account on Friday the 2nd of April, 19:30h CET.

Click here for instructions on how to follow a live show on Instagram Live. If you have questions for our guest you are welcome to prepare them and e-mail them to us or send them as a direct message on our Instagram account.

You can find a link to the recording of the show here.