Exploring Vienna’s Wine Culture – A Tasting Tour of the Vineyards

Carla Hyenne goes on a short trip outside Vienna to bring One Planet Journey readers to lush vineyards, and traditional taverns, heurigen, where winemakers offer their newest wines in a typically Austrian communal setting. Sip on a crisp Grüner Veltliner or the uniquely Viennese Gemischter Satz, and immerse yourself in a viticulture tracing its origins to Roman times. Tag along on the tour and learn how to enjoy local wine culture in this tasting guide.

Vienna is famed for classical music, imperial history and grand architecture, but it doesn’t end there. Travel right outside the city and you will find yourself surrounded by rolling hills of vineyards, the site of wine crafting since Roman times.

Today, winemakers open the doors to their heuriger (plural: heurigen), the name for the local taverns where you can sample this year’s wine. These Vienna vineyards epitomise the good life of the Austrian capital: a blend of city and countryside with a convivial atmosphere and fresh, locally made products.

It’s easy to immerse yourself in Vienna’s winemaking heritage. All you need is an afternoon and a curiosity for wine. From the crisp Grüner Veltliner to a sweeter Riesling or the unique Gemischter Satz, Vienna stands apart as a capital city with thriving urban vineyards. If you’re looking for more meaningful and deeper travel experiences, I can recommend Viennese wine tourism.

Viennese Traditions in Viticulture 

When thinking about the wine regions of the world, Austria may not be the first to come to mind. However, the eastern side of the country has a longstanding tradition in viticulture. Wine production started outside the old town and sometimes overflowed within the city walls. During the Middle Ages, for example, there was a vineyard near Schottentor, a gate leading into the inner city (Innere Stadt). 

Although it doesn’t exist anymore, with Schottentor of today more a bustling tram and metro station, wine producers and heurigen still line the northern districts of Vienna.

The heuriger is a cornerstone of Viennese wine culture. They afford winemakers a place to offer their wines at the site of production, bringing people closer to the vineyards and to the philosophy and values of the winery itself. When speaking of “kilometre 0” and buying local, it doesn’t get better than sipping wine amongst the vines from which the grapes came.

The heuriger refers to a wine tavern, but also designates the wine served. A heuriger only serves this year’s wine, made from the last harvest. You won’t find an older vintage.

The beauty of the heuriger is that it brings together all that is great about Austrian culture. In a relaxed, homely atmosphere, you sit on a simple wooden bench or lounge chair, surrounded by people of all kinds. The younger crowd, older adult couples, families, curious visitors and seasoned locals all share this space. Around you are acres and acres of vineyards, and the best part is the glass of wine in your hand and the afternoon sun on your face.

Producing Wine in the Austrian Capital

Few capital cities boast the fertile green fields that Vienna does. The central-European location gives it a cooler climate and stony soil, where the summer and autumn seasons see warm and sunny days accompanied by colder nights. 

This particular terroir (cultivated ecosystem) produces wines with fresh and crisp characteristics, and is most suited to white grape varieties. In fact, after spending months in Vienna and visiting the vineyards time and time again, I almost only have memories of white wine. That could also be because the summer afternoons lend themselves better to a lighter and more refreshing wine. Red wine feels to me richer, and reserved for cooler days.

A Very Viennese Wine

Recently, an old tradition has come to the forefront of wine culture in Vienna: the distinctive Gemischter Satz, or “mixed blend”. 

It’s easy to see how it gets its name. This wine combines at least three, and up to twenty, different grapes planted and harvested together in one vineyard. At the onset, winemakers used this technique to ensure a consistent quality of wine. A poor harvest risked producing wine of lesser quality, and blending grapes with differing degrees of ripeness and acidity mitigates the risk of a bad wine. 

The humble Gemischter Satz has made a powerful impression in recent years, earning the title of DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus). The National Wine Committee awards DAC status to a quality wine whose characteristics are typical and representative of its region. As such, producers exclusively make the Gemischter Satz in Vienna, and you must try it during your visit.

Another very Austrian concept is the Gespritzter Wein, or simply the Spritzer. A glass that is half white wine, and half sparkling water or soda. The Spritzer polarises the Viennese and wine lovers world-wide, but in my opinion, it’s quite a pleasant option if you crave something lighter.

An Afternoon Walk Through the Vineyards of Kahlenberg

Nothing will get you closer to Viennese wine culture than a stroll through the vineyards on Kahlenberg. We took an afternoon to wander these hills and visit our favourite heurigen, drinking Gemischter Satz until sundown.

Our walk starts from Heiligenstadt station, where we take bus 38A to the top of Kahlenberg. On a side note, next to the station is Karl-Marx-Hof, an iconic social housing complex which is worth visiting to understand the development of public services in Vienna during the 20th century.

The bus takes us through the Heiligenstadt neighbourhood, which looks like its own village. You already see the local wine taverns here, some of which double as guest houses and restaurants.

We get off at the last bus stop, Kahlenberg. Before heading out along Stadtwanderweg 1 (hiking trail 1), we pause to admire the vista over the vineyards, the Danube river and the city.

Time for Viennese Wine

From this viewpoint, we start our walk down through the cool forest. It doesn’t take long before we spot the first vineyards outside Vienna. In August, the vines are lush and heavy with fruit, and some people even lay down blankets for a picnic with a view.

We continue and find a sign for heuriger Feuerwehr Wagner am Nussberg, brandishing an intriguing logo: a bunch of grapes with a firefighter helmet. It turns out the winery got its name from John Wagner, the last man to volunteer as head of Heiligenstadt’s fire department in the early 1900s.

Located right off the main path, the heuriger welcomes us with wooden seats and tables. We find a spot between the lush grapevines and study the menu. The wine list has the wines I expect to see: Gemischter Satz, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Gelber Muskateller, Traminer; and also some I haven’t heard of, for example, the Bouvier.

My Approach to Wine Tasting

My favourite way to taste wines is to sample them one after another. If you’re an amateur like me, I find this experience helps to detect the differences in notes, acidity, colour, texture, and to figure out what I enjoy. 

It’s also advisable to use all your senses, not only taste. When you get your glass and before taking a sip, study the colour of the wine, how it runs down the glass, the manner it reflects the light, and how it smells. Think about the notes on your nose – fruity, floral, spicy, or something else? Or maybe it doesn’t carry a particularly strong note at all?

When you take a sip, concentrate on the taste and the feeling on the tongue. How is the texture and the acidity? Does the taste match the smell? How long does it linger on your tongue, and is there an aftertaste? These are questions I ask myself to help me assess the wine in a deeper way, and I believe it makes the experience more fun.

That said, the most important thing to know is that there is no right or wrong way to drink wine. It is personal, so appreciate it as you wish! Enjoy your glass, the company of your friends and of others around you. Bask in the atmosphere and savour the view, because wine is about more than a drink in a glass – it creates a world unto itself.

Wine Tasting at the Heuriger

From the kiosk, I order a glass of Gemischter Satz and one of Grüner Veltliner, and we share a spread of typical Viennese foods. Our favourites are the brötchen with aufstrich (bread rolls with cheese dips), the best being the “liptauer”, a tangy local classic made with paprika. 

In the olden days, the heurigen didn’t have kitchen licences and most had no kitchens at all. They only served cold foods like aufstrich, chilled meats and cheeses accompanied by brötchen, and visitors had permission to bring their own food. Nowadays you still find the traditional platters, and in bigger establishments, such as the taverns in Heiligenstadt, you’ll see warm lunch and dinner menus.

Sunset Wine

What I love most about white wine, and specifically the Viennese kind, is how light and refreshing it is. Both wines hit the spot.

The Grüner Veltliner is as expected. It’s bright and crisp, with no overpowering notes. It has a pleasant acidity and hints of citrus and doesn’t linger on the tongue. This variety is the most produced wine in Austria and thus easy to come by, so I’ve become quite familiar with the taste of the Grüner Veltliner. To me, it equates to summer in Vienna.

The Gemischter Satz, in comparison, is more interesting. You’re never sure what to expect, since the blend of grapes is characteristic of each heuriger. This Gemischter Satz smells light and fruity, with deeper notes, perhaps vanilla and oak? It has a bolder smell and taste than the Grüner Veltliner, and is slightly softer on the tongue. It doesn’t boast the same acidity and feels a bit sweeter. Even though it has a stronger body, it’s still refreshing, and at this moment I prefer it to the Grüner Veltliner for its deeper characteristics.

Our plan was to continue to another heuriger, but the sunset welcomed us in such a perfect manner that we stayed until they closed. By this time, the sun had disappeared, and we finished our descent, along with everyone else who had stayed until nightfall.

My recommendations for enjoying wine culture in Vienna

There are many more heurigen to visit on Kahlenberg and in Vienna, each with their own story and character. A heuriger I liked on a previous visit is Mayer am Nussberg. It has a slightly more laid-back setting, with picnic tables and lounge chairs reminiscent of my grandparent’s back garden.

If you’re visiting in winter, note that the heurigen close between late autumn and spring. What you can do instead is visit the taverns in Heiligenstadt or Stammersdorf, two municipalities of Vienna known for their wine establishments. Don’t forget to check the opening hours beforehand.

You can always enjoy wine in the city centre. Weinstube Josefstadt is centrally located in the 8th district, and although it isn’t a heuriger in the strict meaning of the term, it feels like one. They don’t produce their own wine, but this means you can try a variety of Gemischter Satz produced by a host of winemakers. Another favourite in the centre is Unger und Klein. The setting of this wine bar differs completely from a heuriger – more upscale – but they have an extensive wine list.

Vienna’s wine culture is woven into the fabric of the city, from the hills of Kahlenberg to the Innere Stadt. Whether you’re sitting under the sun in a heuriger or enjoying a glass at a fancy wine bar, each wine tells a story of tradition and craftsmanship. Wherever you end up, you’ll find that Vienna’s wines reflect the spirit of the city itself: rich, inviting, and timeless.

Have you tried Austrian wine? What’s your favourite vineyard in Vienna? Let us know in the comment section! Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.