Stage 23 From Glacier to Wine South Route Variant Leutschach - Leibnitz

From Leutschach, the route initially heads north, climbing gently out of the village before following the Eichbergbach stream towards Kreuzberg, home to one of the region's most beautiful viewpoints. Although the lookout point is located slightly off the main route, the short detour is highly recommended for its magnificent panoramic views across the surrounding wine country.

Shortly before reaching the viewpoint, near the settlement of Reitermacher, the trail turns east and soon passes the wineries of Adam and Adam-Lieleg. Here, we keep left and continue north through pleasantly shaded woodland, passing renowned wine estates such as those of Peter Skoff, the Trabos family, and Hannes Sabathi, whose winery lies just a short distance from the route.

Surrounded by beautifully situated vineyards and wineries that invite visitors to stop and sample the local wines, the trail continues across the Sauberg towards Schönegg. At the edge of the settlement, just before Rettenbach, we turn left and tackle one final, gentle ascent to the Seggauberg.

This scenic hill west of the wine town of Leibnitz is home to the Frauenberg Temple Museum, which explores the sacred sites of the region and provides fascinating insights into more than 6,500 years of settlement history in Steiermark. A short distance further on stands Seggau Castle, which today houses a hotel as well as an impressive historic wine cellar. The castle's Bishop's Wine Cellar, more than 300 years old, is among the oldest and largest wine cellars in the country.

The final descent follows an easy and pleasant path leading directly into Leibnitz, where the charming main square provides a fitting conclusion to this stage of the Hiking Trail From Glacier to Wine.

In Thermen- & Vulkanland Styria, Eastern Styria and Southern and Western Styria, the GenussCard opens the door to over 200 excursion destinations when you stay overnight in one of the approximately 100 Genusscard partner businesses. Countless of these Genusscard excursion destinations, ranging from culinary manufactories to bathing lakes and museums, are located directly on the hiking route "From Glacier to Wine".

In spring 2018, a jury and the readers of a major Austrian daily newspaper selected Martina Traisch from the Enns Valley and Manfred Polansky from the Mürz Valley as two "super hikers" who hiked the northern and southern routes in the summer. On www.steiermark.com/superwanderer you can read about their experiences and adventures: From ideal photo spots to hidden wine cellars in mountain huts. Do you want to follow in the footsteps of Martina and Manfred and also become a "super hiker"? It's easy: Register at www.steiermark.com/superwanderer and then post your experiences, videos and comments along the hiking route "From Glacier to Wine" - regardless of whether you hike the entire route or just one section. Every 5 stages also beckons a small reward!

Accessible by train and bus: detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

Kompass WK224 Steirisches Weinland- Stainz, Sausal, Sulmtal, Leibnitz www.kompass.at

Freytag & Berndt WK411 Steirisches Weinland · Südwest Steiermark www.freytagberndt.at