Betting on distinction in Austria’s Steiermark

Life teaches most of us not to put all our eggs in one basket. And the concept holds just as true for grapes. The wine world has seen numerous examples in recent history of regions rising from the pack by championing a single variety – and just as many downfalls as they invariably trip over the thin line between recognisable and interchangeable.

How can a region successfully define itself through a single grape variety while still respecting the individuality of its growers? I don’t know.

But I do have one inspiring example.

Over the last...