{"id":558,"date":"2019-10-15T06:11:10","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T06:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/?p=558"},"modified":"2021-11-21T09:11:07","modified_gmt":"2021-11-21T09:11:07","slug":"viennas-vinous-delights-by-jack-simmonds-hahndorf-hill-brand-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/?p=558","title":{"rendered":"Vienna’s vinous delights – By Jack Simmonds, Hahndorf Hill Brand Ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Hahndorf
The verdant vineyards of Vienna’s Nussberg sub-region<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Vienna regularly tops the list of the world’s most liveable cities and I can’t help but think that having hundreds of wineries right on its doorstep might be a contributing factor. Despite modern Vienna’s status as a major metropolis, its residents are no stranger to grape vines; for centuries they have been an almost daily part of life and were even cultivated within the city walls until the late Middle Ages. Today there are almost 700 hectares of vineyards within the city limits. The famous sub-regions of Bisamberg and Nussberg form links in a great green chain that wreaths the city, a vista that is both beautiful to the eye and exciting to the palate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slopes that\ngarland the city and suburbs are a verdant tapestry of every green in the book;\ntrails and tracks climb over forested hillocks then gently wind through valleys\nof bravely disciplined vineyards clinging to the undulating landscape. It only\ntook fifteen minutes to get from my hotel in the centre of town to the foot of\nthe Kahlenberg hill whose city-facing slopes make up the Nussberg sub-region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hahndorf
The Heurigen Express takes you on a vinous journey<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here I paid the modest\nfee of five euros to jump aboard the Heurigen Express which clattered its way up\nthe tight switchbacks until we reached the summit. The full route takes the\nHeurigen Express through several villages and small towns, eventually returning\nto Nussdorf; but the view of the city and surrounding woods compelled me to\njump off and stare for a while, and as the rest of the loop was all downhill\nfrom there, I decided to complete the circuit on foot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vintners of Vienna have been blessed in that the region is capable of growing a wide range of varietals, and this flexibility was of tremendous help to early winemakers who planted many different varietals in the same vineyard as insurance against unpredictable ripening conditions. The fruit of these different varietals would be co-picked then co-fermented into a fresh but simple and inexpensive wine. This field blend went on to be called Gemischter Satz and would become the signature style of Viennese wine, being consistently and reliably delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until about 15 years ago, Gemischter Satz was not always given its due recognition as there were those who dismissed it as being merely ‘tavern wine’. However, for the Viennese vintners who tweaked and tinkered with their pet style, and who worked hard and persisted, the reward came in 2013 when the ‘Wiener Gemischter Satz’ achieved formal DAC status. Today, the wines that carry this DAC status are as elegant and sophisticated as those to be found in the swanky regions, but these wines have not forgotten that their roots or natural habitat lies in the heuriger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A heuriger or wine tavern is a Viennese institution; for generations the only way a small producer was able to sell their product was to build their own tavern where they would serve their wines with platters heaped with cold meats, cheeses and pickles. Over time some evolved to offer warm food and even buffets and on the day I arrived one heuriger was serving up a full spit-roasted pig! Regular readers will know there is little I won’t do for roast pork and on this day I discovered I left my moral compass in Australia when I expertly crashed an 80th<\/sup> birthday party and shamelessly tucked into more crackling than was seemly. I am not proud of my actions but I regret nothing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today the hills and suburbs surrounding Vienna are peppered with heurigen that run the spectrum from timber shack to fine dining but one thing is constant: The heuriger is a place for groups of friends or extended families to let their hair down. The famously reserved Austrians’ volume increases, their smiles widens and hard edges soften. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hahndorf
The bucolic setting of heuriger Mayer am Pfarrplatz<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Gruner
Beethoven still resonates in Vienna’s heurigen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mayer am Pfarrplatz in the outer suburb of Heiligenstadt is typical of the smarter style of heuriger with a central courtyard lined with picnic-style tables and benches surrounded by dining rooms and a small museum dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven, who stayed on the property in 1817. At that time there was also a sanatorium in Heiligenstadt which Beethoven visited regularly in hopes of finding relief for his deteriorating ear condition. It was during this time that he worked on his Ninth Symphony. A connection to the region’s most famous son is claimed by several heurigen in the region; Beethoven’s ghost is even said to be a regular visitor in the heuriger of Schubel-Auer which is only two doors down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Delectable wine flight at heuriger Schubel-Auer<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Schubel-Auer is a\ncasual and cosy heuriger owned by a husband and wife team who form the tenth\ngeneration to run the business which is in its 308th<\/sup> year. The wines\nare all delicious but I would like to single out their Gelben Muskateller which\nhypnotized me with waves of rose water, apple and lime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Michael Edelmoser’s heuriger has been rated as the best in Vienna<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The heurigen’s significance to Viennese culture cannot be overstated and no trip to Vienna would be complete without a visit to Edlmoser winery, which was recently recognised as the best heuriger in Vienna by Falstaff magazine. Current custodian Michael Edlmoser greeted me at the door and treated me to flight after flight of his beautifully crafted and considered wines. I arrived on a busy night and the dining room was energized by people of a common purpose: To relax and enjoy themselves over platters of deliciously roasted meats with the ubiquitous potato salads and the fruits of Michael’s hard work in the winery.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Tuck in! Mouthwatering roast pork and sensational potato salad at the Edlmoser heuriger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Edlmoser vineyards\nare to the south of the city where red grape varieties thrive and where Riesling\nand Gruner Veltliner are prized. The Gemischter Satz wines reflect this and are\nleaner and more acid driven than the Muskateller-dominant styles to the north.\nHere I tasted exciting wines so razor sharp I could shave with them through to opulent\nand generous wines that I could easily believe were more sunlight than grape.\nBut such hyperbole would only embarrass Michael Edlmoser who would much rather\ndiscuss what music to pair with his wines and who completely rejects what he\nsees as just the highbrow bollocks of wine journalism. I very much enjoyed my\nevening at the Edlmoser heuriger and can see why the whole package is so highly\nregarded.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rainer Christ is one of the vinters instrumental in the rise of Vienna’s Gemischster Satz<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The sub-region of\nBisamberg is relatively small but rich in geological variety; loess, shale,\nglacier ground gravel and compacted ancient sea shells are all tugging on the\nthin quilt of top soil. It is this mix of mediums that gives the fruit grown\nhere a distinctive acid and floral aromatics, characteristics prized by Rainer\nChrist of Christ winery and heuriger. Here the modern seamlessly complements\nthe traditional in every way; the winery is state of the art but also\ndeceptively low-tech. The fruit and must progress through five expertly\ndesigned climate zones without ever seeing a pump; gravity is the master here\nand the result is wines of quiet power and subtle authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gemischter Satz forms\nthe heart of the portfolio with several examples being among the best I have\ntried; I was especially smitten with the Bisamberg Gemischter Satz DAC, from\nthe Ried Wiesthalen vineyard. White blossom and ripe orange spring from the\nglass while toasty, nutty rye bread notes stroll in at their own pace. The\nvineyard is over 70 years old and is thought to be planted with over 10\nvarieties; no one is quite sure, but one thing is certain, I want more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally home to fresh cheap wines that were served ice cold in large carafes as soon as possible to the ordinary people of Vienna, the heuriger evolved over the past 100 years to become an integral element for everyone in any successful spring and summer. Long afternoons sipping Gemischter Satz in the sun with friends and family has become as essential to the Viennese as enjoying wiener schnitzel, and while the heuriger is not a uniquely Viennese venue, it is they who have mastered it. An afternoon spent sipping, munching and chatting in a heuriger is good for the soul, and I have already pencilled in several more to visit on my next trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vienna wine region\nis rich and varied;  several sub-regions\nthat sit on a myriad of soil types has gifted its winemakers with a broad\npalate from which to paint wines that have stood the test of time. I have long\nbeen a fan of field blends and I can now confirm that Vienna Gemischter Satz\nsits at the zenith of the style.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vienna regularly tops the list of the world’s most liveable cities and I can’t help but think that having hundreds of wineries right on its doorstep might be a contributing factor. Despite modern Vienna’s status as a major metropolis, its … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,37,44,42,28,54,57,9,38,56,21,58],"class_list":["post-558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adeaide-hills-cellar-door","tag-adelaide-hills","tag-adelaide-hills-wine","tag-adelaide-hills-wine-region","tag-cool-climate-wines","tag-dessert-wine-gruner-veltliner","tag-gemischter-satz","tag-gru","tag-gruner-veltliner","tag-hahndorf","tag-hahndorf-hill-gruner-veltliner","tag-vienna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thegrufiles.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}