Wine culture means much more than just drinking good wine: visit wineries, cellar alleys, worlds of experience and wine seminars to find out the truth in wine, both theoretically and practically.
For two decades, wine from Austria has persistently evolved. The result: Austrian wine, be it Grüner Veltliner from Lower Austria, Styrian Sauvignon Blanc from Styria or Blaufränkisch from Mittelburgenland, has become an insider tip even in Tokyo, New York and Sydney. Anyone holidaying in Austria has the opportunity to get get a glipmse behind the scene and learn about where the wine comes from. As always, many roads lead to the destination.
The most common, but certainly not the most boring way: a visit to the vintner. Austrian wineries are almost always family businesses and are often visually distinguished by a special feature: their great courage to modern architecture. Whether in the very south of Styria or in small villages in Burgenland: What the winegrowers have established is something to be proud of. It goes without saying that guests are welcome in the new (and old) wine cellars and tasting rooms. If you book in advance, the vintners will usually give you a personal tour of the production facilities and cellars.
If a cellar is not enough, you will find something underground in all of Austria's wine regions: Both Kellergassen in Lower Austria, where those interested can wander from cellar to cellar and taste wine, and centuries-old, huge cellar vaults in castles and monasteries invite guided exploration.
A kind of community cellar - the vinotheque
Regional vinotheques are another way to get to know all the important wineries in a region and get an overview of winemakers and grape varieties. There you can study labels in a relaxed setting, obtain information and, of course, taste.
The shelves of the Vinothek Steiermark in St. Anna am Aigen invite you to taste.
In Burgenland's largest vinotheque, Selektion Vinothek Burgenland (German only) in Eisenstadt, you can taste more than 630 wines from Seewinkel to Eisenberg. These can be enjoyed, among other things, with a view of Esterházy Castle on the cosy lounge terrace.
The Weinquartier Retz is the largest regional vinotheque in Lower Austria and offers wines from 50 vintners from the Weinviertel region.
Seggau Castle in Styria is home to one of the oldest wine cellars in Europe: 300 years old, 72 meters long and eight and a half meters high.
The cellar in Klosterneuburg Abbey north of Vienna - one of the oldest and largest wine cellars in Austria - for example, lies an incredible 36 meters deep in the earth.
You've just strolled through the old town, and now you're sitting in the middle of greenery: the vineyards on the outskirts of Vienna, such as the Nussberg, are reached in no time from the city centre and promise culinary delights in the glass and on the plate. Grüner Veltliner or Gemischter Satz - a Viennese wine specialty that has experienced a real renaissance in recent years - is accompanied by savory, homemade delicacies from the Heurigen buffet, which harmonise wonderfully with the fine wines. Always included on the side: the sensational view of the city.
In the beginning, the Viennese Heurigen were rustic wine taverns, where people sat down on long wooden benches to enjoy a meal. Their trademark was a sign above the gate, signaling that the Heuriger was open. This ritual has not changed to this day, but the number and variety of pubs where you can enjoy the excellent Viennese wine has.
Enjoying the luxury of simple living - living beautifully, eating and drinking well, and taking in the scenery. A guide to deceleration.
From the roof to the cellar, the Hotel Rathaus is attuned to the juice of the vine. Each room of the award-winning design hotel has an Austrian vintner as its godfather (and his wines in the refrigerator).
Wine seminars combine theory and practice in a pleasant way. They are offered first and foremost by the highly respected Wine Academy Austria, but also by private institutes, vinotheques and restaurants. Learn about what it takes to produce high quality wine - from colour and viscosity to smell and tasting notes.
Wine Experience Worlds combine old wine tradition and modern architecture, of which there are now several in eastern Austria, such as the Loisium in Langenlois, Lower Austria.
