When
most people think of Vienna, they automatically visualize classical music,
museums, and cafes. It is easy to dive
into culture and cake while in Vienna, but there is one more thing that cannot
be missed: the Viennese wine cellars.
The city is deliciously surrounded by vineyards, making it the largest
wine producing urban area in the world.
Whereas many wine producing regions require some logistical planning to visit,
most cellars and vineyards in Vienna can be reached by public
transportation.
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| Rainer Christ showing us his best reds at Weingut Christ |
Just imagine taking a tram or bus to sample a Grüner Veltliner at a sunny terrace in the Viennese city limits or staying warm and cozy with the locals at a Heuriger during winter. A Heuriger is a tavern located in the cellar property which serves only the wine it produces with local food. During my January trip to Vienna, I spent the day discovering three unique cellars and learning about traditions passed on from generation to generation in Austria.
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| Dinner Choices at Weingut Christ |
First stop: Weingut Christ. On
a snowy morning in Vienna, we arrived to Weingut Christ. What better way to warm up than with a hearty Austrian red, right? We met Rainer Christ, the owner of the cellar
for a tasting and a tour. The Christ family has been in the wine
business for over 400 years. Rainer has
been making wines since his twenties, learning from family tradition and traditional education. Now in his
late thirties, you can see how he incorporates modern with traditional in his cellar. You can see it from the design of the tasting
room, with its clean lines to the traditional wood lined room of the
Heuriger. We enjoyed their rich reds, especially the Blauer Zweigelt. Weingut Christ, Amtsstraße 12, 1210
Wien
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| Wine at Lenikus |
Second
Stop: Lenikus. Compared to other wineries that have been in
Vienna for years, Lenikus is a new kid on the block, producing its first
vintage a few years ago. In an area that
tradition means everything, Leinkus wine is just taking its first steps but does not
fail in delivering quality wines. The
Lenikus cellar is nestled in a posh residential area literally in front of a
tram stop in Vienna. It currently does not have a Heuriger, but it is planning
to open one this summer. You can feel
the youthful innovation in the wines from its team: Erich the winemaker and Bernhard
in sales, two young Austrians in their late 20's developing a brand from scratch. From the
unforgettable hints of honey in their 2012 Grüner
Veltliner to the innovative labels of their
bottles, this is a creative cellar. Note that the labels: they are designed with drawings of fossils indigenous to the Danube area adapted from the
Museum of Natural History of Vienna. Wein Lenikus, Cobenzlgasse 2, Wien
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| Tasting at Weingut Lenikus |
Third Stop: Weingut Bernreiter. This cellar encompasses all the traditional
aspects of a traditional Viennese cellar.
We were given a tour by Peter, the owner of the cellar and
heuriger. Similar to the Christ cellar,
this has been in the family for many years.
There, we had the opportunity to not only tour the cellars but preview the whites still on the steel barrels in the cellar. The passion that Peter has for his wines is
as palpable as the wine he shares with us fresh from the cellar. Although it was a cold January day, I couldn’t
help visualize how amazing the cellar courtyard must be in the summer time.
Guests can spend the day drinking wine under the grapevines of the property. Weingut Bernreiter, Amtsstraße 24-26, 1210 Wien, Austria
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| Peter Bernreiter sampling the new whites |
Happy from a day of drinking everything from an Austrian Shiraz to Rose Sekt (Austrian sparkling wine), we ended the day where it all began: at Christ. Peter Bernreiter and Rainer Christ are neighbors and eat at each other's Heurigers. It was an Austrian version of Cheers, everybody knew one another, everybody approached Peter to say hello. As we ate roasted pork and dumplings, we were grateful to have the chance to explore the Austrian wine scene, straight from those who so passionately craft these wines in the city of Vienna.
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| The scene at Christ Heuriger |
CONVERSATION