Ottenberg: Wine Hiking Trails and South Styrian Delights

Ottenberg combines vineyards, scenic hiking trails and specific culinary destinations into a travel destination for anyone who wants to experience South Styria not just while passing through. When planning your trip, you can choose between a hike through forests, meadows and vineyards, a stop at a tavern serving regional specialities, and excursions along the South Styrian Wine Road. A holiday apartment or holiday house in Ottenberg is particularly suitable as a search option if these experiences are to be the focus of your days.

Buschenschank Taverns, Wine and Regional Specialities

A characteristic culinary destination is Pilch Winery at Ottenberg 34. The winery covers 8.5 hectares, with wine production shaped by the terroir of the Oberranzried vineyard site. The attached Buschenschank tavern has a panoramic terrace and offers homemade snacks, desserts, quality wines, fruit juices and brandies. This allows you to complement a hike with a break offering a choice of not only wine but also various sweet and savoury dishes.

At Ottenberg 7, Dietrich Fruit Farm offers a juice tasting. This is another way to get to know the local culinary landscape. The Ratscher Landhaus at Ottenberg 35 combines a breakfast buffet with an evening four-course menu and views of the vineyards. The wine bar is also open to guests who are not staying at the hotel. For a stop directly along the route, consider Marko Buschenschank at Ottenberg 3: it is located right on the Ratsch-Ottenberg hiking trail.

Wine Hiking Trails Offering Different Impressions

The Ratsch-Ottenberg Wine Hiking Trail No. 21 runs along paved roads as well as forest and meadow paths and leads through vineyards. Depending on the kind of day you want to experience, you can combine various landscape elements in this way. Variant 21a runs along the national border to Witscheinberg. From there, hikers have a view of Slovenia. Parking is available for this variant at the Ratscher Landhaus.

Another option is the Ehrenhausen Circular Hiking Trail No. 3. It leads to Ottenberg, where hikers encounter vineyards and impressive views. The Ratsch-Ottenberg Wine Hiking Trail also runs directly through the vineyards of Ottenberg.

Ottenberg as a Starting Point for South Styria

For a broader regional orientation, there is the South Styrian Wine Road. It is Austria’s oldest wine road and runs for around 25 kilometres from Ehrenhausen an der Weinstraße to Leutschach an der Weinstraße. This allows you to combine your stay in Ottenberg with additional stops in the wine region. In the surrounding area, Gross Winery also offers tours of the vineyards and cellar, wine tastings and purchases at cellar-door prices. Wirtshaus Wolfgang Maitz serves regional specialities and dishes with a Mediterranean touch, as well as wines from its own winery; the view from the sun terrace extends across the vineyards.

A recurring event is the Ratscher Jakobi Hike: it takes place every year on 25 July in the area around Ottenberg as a leisurely, food-and-wine-themed hike in South Styria. For 20 years, it has been celebrated in Ratsch an der Weinstraße with typical South Styrian specialities, excellent wines and music. If you would like to plan your trip around wine hikes, tastings and regional cuisine, you can keep Ottenberg in mind as a specific search option for a holiday apartment or holiday house.

More Places for Planning Your Trip

To compare other destinations, you can also view Leibnitz, Leutschach, Neurath, Kranach, Berghausen, Wagna, Kitzeck Im Sausal and Rettenberg.

To the higher-level travel overview: Leibnitz.