Travel Russia Today

Recently, I had the good luck to be in Vienna during harvest season and was lucky enough to be able to eat in a local Heuriger. Think of a German beer-garden and replace the “beer” with “wine” and you have a Heuriger restaurant. Most of these small local restuarants are located just outside the city center, usually 20 minutes or so by taxi from the central area. Believe me – it’s worth the cost. The restaurants are all extremely casual with communal seating. Generally, you order at a counter (all the food for the night is on display), then the food is made to order for you and brought to your table.

If there is a branch of pine needles above the doorway as you enter, young, just harvested wine is available and is worth a try. At Heiuriger Welser , we enjoyed a delicious dinner of lightly fried fresh garden vegetables, delicious local salads, and a smorgasboard of fried chicken, succulent tender ham, roast pork, sausages and more. Desserts were a selection of homemade strudels. Two local musicians entertained the room and serenaded our group with a rendition of “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music. Our entire table joined in with singing, much to the amusement of the locals! This is the perfect place to meet local residents, enjoy simple fresh food and have a glass of young wine.