Viennese Wine and the Wine Hikes

Vienna is for many reasons the perfect capital city. It’s not too big that you’ll need hours to cruise around. It’s big enough that there’s always something new to see and do. But what makes it especially unique as a capital city is how close it is to nature. And even more, the Viennese countryside is known for its vineyards. And every Autumn the vineyards open their doors to the public, so everyone can hike up between the grapevines and enjoy the beautiful view over Vienna while sampling some fresh Viennese wine straight from the producer.

Between the grapes and the taverns

The city is surrounded by a green belt of vineyards. The special and typically Viennese thing to do is to hike along the hills. Since the vineyards are so close, you can easily start from the city and with every step you take further into the vineyards, you leave the big city feeling behind. But when you turn around, you can see all the splendour of Vienna behind you. As you hike, you can walk through rows of grapevines, hear the rustling of leaves, meet winemakers at work, and sooner or later end up at a cozy wine tavern.

The ”Heuriger”

In Austria we call these wine taverns “heurige”. The translation would be something like “this years”, they are called like this because you can try the wine of the current vintage. For centuries, Viennese winegrowers have been serving their freshly pressed wine in their own tavern or courtyard. Nowadays, most restaurants not only sell the Viennese wine, but also serve a variety of traditional dishes.

The perfect routes:

From Nussdorf to Kahlenberg to Grinzing: the classic. From the Danube up over the heights, rewarded with panoramic views and a stop at the wine tavern in Grinzing.

Neustift am Walde – Cobenzl: Particularly atmospheric in the fall, when the vineyards glow golden. Ideal for those who like to visit several wine taverns in a row.

Stammersdorf – Bisamberg: Authentic, less touristy. Here you can get to know Vienna from its quaint side.

Vienna Wine Hiking Day

Wine hiking is particularly enjoyable in autumn, firstly because it is the wine harvest season and you can taste the young wine there. Secondly, because the landscape simply changes beautifully.

Since autumn is so ideal for this, the Vienna Wine Hiking Days take place every year on a weekend at the end of September/beginning of October. On this weekend, countless Viennese gather to walk the beautiful wine hiking trails together and bid farewell to summer with a glass of fine Viennese wine.

Tipps:

• Best time: Early fall, when the harvest season begins and nature is particularly atmospheric.
• Clothing: Comfortable and stable shoes, as some paths are steeper than expected. A jacket as it can get cold in the evenings of autumn.
• Drinks and Food: As well as wine, be sure to try typical spreads, cheese, chestnuts or a Spritzer.
• How to get there: Start and end points of the hikes are easily accessible by the Vienna city public transport.