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Austrians liken the rolling hills and vineyards of the southern part of Styria to Tuscany. The similarities end, however, when it comes to prices and the number of American tourists.
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| A Styrian vineyard |
Tell an Austrian you've been to the Styrian Wine Road (Südsteirische Weinstrasse) and she is likely to look wistfully into the distance and say "Ahhh, the Styrian Toscana." In part, this is because of a memorable advertising slogan, but also because the landscape really does look something like the Italian region of Tuscany. Located on the border with Slovenia, the southern Styrian countryside is a blend of crescent hills, tall singular poplar trees, the occasional farmhouse, and vineyards one after the other.
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Frau Jakobé, the owner of one of these vineyards at the top of the last crest before the border, prefers to point out the differences. "If this were Tuscany," she says, "at this time of year everything would be brown."
True, on a hot day in late July the view is a palette of innumerable greens - the rolling fields, the shimmering leaves of the poplar trees and the broad pointed leaves strung along the vines - but not a hint of anything parched or withered. In fact, it's downright humid; perfect weather to sit in the shade of a vine arbor and enjoy a cool, perspiring glass of fruitful Styrian white wine.
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