Which European city has most vineyards?
Vienna is the European city with a wine-growing area of around 700 hectares. Vienna’s 400 or so wineries produce around 20,000 hectolitres of wine every year, most of which is sold directly or served by the winegrowers themselves at their wineries. Around 80% of the grape varieties cultivated are white wines, with Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and Pinot Blanc being the most common. Around 40% of Vienna’s vineyards are planted with Gemischter Satz, the oldest ‚grape variety‘ in Vienna. The Wiener Gemischter Satz is a wine in which the grapes of different grape varieties grown in the same vineyard are harvested and processed at the same time. The Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC characterises the city’s wineries that serve their own wine. These places are then called „Heurigen“.
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC
Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC is the oldest ‚grape variety‘ in Vienna. As early as the 19th century, people in Vienna favoured noble grape varieties such as Riesling, Rotgipfler, Pinot Blanc and Traminer. These were planted together with other white varieties in the vineyard and the harvested grapes were processed together in the cellar. This approach enabled Viennese winegrowers to achieve a regular, reasonably reliable yield, as the different flowering times of the individual grape varieties prevented a total loss of the harvest due to adverse weather conditions during the flowering period.
However, with the trend towards single-varietal wines, the Gemischter Satz wine was somewhat forgotten. However, 30 years ago the „WienWein“ group has recognised the potential of the subtle interplay of different grape varieties in the Wiener Gemischter Satz and presents excellent wines whose unique aroma compositions are created by combining highly ripe grapes with the freshness and breed of grapes that are still somewhat less ripe at the time of harvest.
The Wiener Gemischter Satz is a wine that allows you to savour the whole of Vienna in one wine. Since the 2013 vintage, the Wiener Gemischter Satz has also had DAC status and thus a protected designation of origin.
The Wiener Gemischter Satz can be a light wine to drink as an appetiser or a more full-bodied, mature wine from vineyards in very good locations.
Composition of the Wiener Gemischter Satz
A Wiener Gemischter Satz must contain at least three quality grape varieties from one and the same vineyard, whereby the largest proportion of one grape variety must not exceed 50% and the third largest proportion must not be less than 10%.
The Wiener Gemischter Satz is available in 3 quality grades, regional wine, local wine and vineyard wine, depending on the origin of the wine.
Regional Wine Wiener Gemischter Satz
In the case of the regional wine of the Wiener Gemischter Satz, all grapes must be grown in Vienna, whereby the grapes can come from different Viennese vineyards. The maximum alcohol content of the regional wine of the Wiener Gemischter Satz is 12.5%.
Ortswein Wiener Gemischter Satz
The grapes for the local wine of the Wiener Gemischter Satz come from the following 7 Viennese cadastral municipalities.
Nußberg: KG Nußdorf and Heiligenstadt
Grinzing: KG Grinzing
Sievering: KG Obersievering and Untersievering
Neustift: KG Neustift and Salmannsdorf
Maurerberg or Mauer: KG Mauer, Kalksburg, Rodaun and Liesing
Oberlaa: KG Oberlaa-Stadt
Bisamberg(-Stammersdorf): KG Stammersdorf and Strebersdorf
Riedenwein Wiener Gemischter Satz
The Rieden variety of Wiener Gemischter Satz comes from a single vineyard. A single vineyard, called a Ried, is the smallest legally demarcated indication of origin. Each Ried produces wine with an individual character. There are 140 precisely demarcated vineyards in Vienna. The vineyards of the Wiener Gemischter Satz benefit from long ageing before bottling. They are always characterised by a mineral spiciness, maturity, individuality and longevity. The vineyard wines from the Wiener Gemischter Satz have an alcohol content of at least 12.5%.
Does Vienna have Wineries?
At the time of Charlemagne (742 to 814), winegrowers were authorised to serve their own wine. The custom of placing a pine bush above the entrance to the winery dates back to this time. The pine bush indicates that the winery is now serving its own wine together with some typical food. This is why it is also referred to as Buschenschank. Today, the serving of wine in a Buschenschank is regulated by the Buschenschank Act, which dates back to a decree by Emperor Josef II in 1784.
Private Tour to Vienna's best Wineries
On this private tour to the best wineries in Vienna, you will be driven from winery to winery by 2 local wine guides. You will stop at 3 wineries in 3 different locations in Vienna's wine-growing region and enjoy typical vintner dishes such as bread spreads, roast meat with bread dumplings or potato dumplings or smoked meat and a delicious apple strudel for dessert, for example. At each of the 3 Viennese wineries you will primarily taste the in-house "Wiener gemischter Satz DAC", if possible in the 3 quality grades of regional wine, local wine and vineyard wine.
Pick up in Vienna.
Guided tour by car to 3 Viennese wineries that serve their own wine.
Visit to 3 wineries either in Stammersdorf or Jedlersdorf or in Grinzing or Sievering or in Neustift am Walde and in Mauer.
A sample of regional Wiener Gemischter Satz wine with bread and a sample of spreads such as Liptauer and Bratenfett at the first winery stop.
At the second winery stop, typically home-cooked, roasted meat hot or cold or smoked meat or cheese or vegetables for vegetarians with a sample of local Wiener Gemischter Satz wine.
At the third Vienna winery a typical viennese homemade dessert, such as apple strudel with a sample of single vineyard Wiener Gemischter Satz wine, the highest quality grade.
Return by car to pick-up point.
This guided Vienna winery tour takes you through wine growing villages that surround Vienna from Stammersdorf or Jedlersdorf on the left side of the Danube in the north of the city to Mauer in the south.
You will stop at 3 typical, smaller Viennese wineries, where you will have the opportunity to taste the special Viennese wine, the Wiener gemischter Satz, from different locations, from different winegrowers, from different years and in the 3 different quality grades, regional wine, local wine and Riedenwein.
Departure details
- Traveler pick up is offered.
- We pick up guests from all Vienna accommodations, from train stations and from Danube cruise ships that dock in Vienna.
- If hotel or cruise pier is inaccessible by car due to restrictions, pick up will be held from a nearby location within short walking distance.
Return details
- Returns to original departure point.
- Booking is done by phone +43 680 301 7720 or email office@fasten-tour.com.
- Bookings are confirmed after a refundable 150 € deposit has been transferred to our PayPal business account using the link PayPal.Me/tasteofvienna.
The balance is due at the end of the tour and can be paid in cash or by card. - This tour is a private tour for 2 or 4 travelers respectively.
- Minimum age is 16 years.
- Pick up time is around 5 p.m.
- Exact pick up times will be agreed when booking.
- Most travelers can participate.
- Duration 4 -5 hours approx. The exact duration may vary including pick up and drop off.
The private Vienna winery tour for 2 travelers is € 758,00 and € 928,00 for 4 travelers.
- After transferring a refundable 150 Euro deposit to our PayPal business account using the link PayPal.Me/tasteofvienna to confirm the booking the balance is due at the end of the Vienna winery tour and can be paid in cash or by card.
If you have any questions about the guided Vienna winery tour, just give us a call. The telephone number is: +43 680 301 7720. You will speak directly to Mr Schlappack, the organiser of the Vienna winery tour.
Route of the tour to the best wineries in Vienna
The tour to Vienna’s best wineries, which also serve their own wine, begins in the north-east of the city on the left bank of the Danube at the foot of the Bisamberg.
Stammersdorf
Stammersdorf is located in the north-east of Vienna at the foot of the Bisamberg towards the Marchfeld. The village green, along which Stammersdorf’s main street runs, stretches between the upper town on the hillside and the lower town. A narrow lane runs from the village green to Stammersdorf parish church, a medieval fortified church.
Parish Church Stammersdorf
The parish church of Stammersdorf is dedicated to St Nicholas and is situated slightly elevated on a foothill of the Bisamberg. The Romanesque church, built in the 12th century, was a fortified church in connection with a castle, situated slightly elevated outside the village. The church tower had the function of a castle keep.
The Stammersdorfer Kellergasse in Vienna
The Stammersdorfer Kellergasse is originally a narrow lane that leads steeply uphill from the village in a northerly direction to the Bisamberg. The lane is lined with wine cellars, some of which are always open to serve their own wine.
What are the typical dishes at a winery "Heurigen" in Vienna?
The typical dishes at a Viennese winery are savoury spreads, roast pork and apple strudel.
Liptauer
The most popular savoury spread at a Viennese winery is Liptauer, which is named after the Slovakian region of Liptau. Liptauer is a cheese spread made from curd cheese with butter or cream and ingredients such as paprika, onion, garlic and caraway. Liptauer can also contain capers, mustard, anchovies and finely diced pickled gherkins for flavour. Finely chopped chives or thinly sliced light green peppers can be used as a garnish.
Egg Spread
Egg spread is also a very popular spread at wineries and tastes best on fresh, home-baked bread. Egg spread contains finely diced onions and gherkins and coarsely chopped, boiled eggs in a base consisting of yoghurt, curd cheese, butter, mustard and mayonnaise, to which the egg yolk gives the animating yellow colour.
Wachauer Laberl
Wachauer Laberl is the favourite bread to eat a spread at a winery in Vienna. The original Wachauer Laberl is a crispy white pastry that was invented by Rudolf Schmidl in Dürnstein in the Wachau valley in 1905. The addition of rye flour gives the Wachauer Laberl a slightly different flavour to a bread roll made only from wheat flour. The bundle also gives the Wachauer Laberl more crust than a bread roll. The bundle, risen part of the dough, increases the surface area. When you eat Wachauer Laberl with Liptauer, you break off a small piece with your hand and apply a little of the Liptauer to it with a knife.
Roast pork
A pork roast is a roasted piece of meat from a domestic pig, whereby you can choose either a streaky piece of neck (Schopf) or a lean piece of back (Karree). The typical Austrian pork roast is seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and caraway and then roasted in the oven with carrots, celery, parsley roots and onions until it has a crispy rind. A slice of hot roast pork is eaten with gravy, hot or cold coleslaw or sauerkraut and bread or potato dumplings. The cold roast pork is served sliced on a plate with mustard and grated horseradish, garnished with chilli peppers, gherkins and tomatoes.
Crispy fried chicken thighs
Crispy fried chicken thighs are available as an alternative to pork at the wineries in Vienna. Tender, juicy chicken thigh meat pan-fried with crispy skin. It tastes particularly good with potatoes, carrots and sauerkraut roasted on a tray in the oven with olive oil and rosemary.
Viennese Apple Strudel
Viennese apple strudel consists of a sheet of dough rolled out with your hands, into which sliced sweet and sour apples, sultanas, finely chopped walnuts and breadcrumbs roasted in butter with sugar are rolled. Viennese apple strudel is baked in the oven until the pastry is crispy and served warm or cold, sprinkled with icing sugar.
Bisamberg
Geologically, the approximately 360 metre high Bisamberg, a continuation of the Vienna Woods across the Danube to the east, consists of flysch, i.e. mainly clay and sandstone. At the foot of the Bisamberg, the soil contains loess, which was mostly formed during the last ice age around 13,000 years ago, when glaciers and frost crushed rocks and stones into rock flour. The rock flour was spread by wind and deposited in predisposed places.
Wiener Gemischter Satz Bisamberg DAC is available in the wineries that own vineyards in the Viennese cadastral districts of Stammersdorf and Strebersdorf, which are located to the left of the Danube.
The Karl Lentner winery offers Wiener Gemischter Satz from the Gabrissen and Jungenberg vineyards of the Bisamberg. The two vineyards are hillside sites on the Bisamberg, facing south and south-east. The soil of the Gabrissen vineyard consists of loess.
The Walter winery bar is located directly in a vineyard in the Jungenberg vineyard, where you can sample Wiener Gemischter Satz wines from the Schmerbern vineyard in Nußberg and the Hackenberg vineyard in Sievering. The soil of the Jungenberg vineyard consists of calcareous sandstone and marl from the flysch zone.
The Wieninger winery in Stammersdorf offers a Wiener Gemischter Satz from the Bisamberger Ried Falkenberg vineyard alongside the Wiener Gemischter Satz Bisamberg. What is remarkable about the Falkenberg vineyard is that it is located at the top of the Bisamberg, faces south-east, the soil consists of Viennese sandstone with marine deposits, almost 70% of it is planted with Wiener Gemischter Satz, and that the Falkenberg vineyard is a so-called ÖTW first site (1ÖTW).
A 1ÖTW site is a vineyard that produces wines that have proven to be the best representatives of their appellations over time. You can taste another Riedenwein Wiener Gemischter Satz from the Bisamberg at the Christ winery in Großjedlersdorf, namely from the Ried Wiesthalen.
The Wiesthalen vineyard faces south-east and south and is located below the Falkenberg vineyard. The soil of Ried Wiesthalen consists of loess and is mainly planted with Wiener Gemischtem Satz and Grünem Veltliner. In addition to loess, Grüner Veltliner also thrives on primary rock and calcareous soils.
Cremeschnitte is the name for the individual pieces of a rectangular vanilla cream cake, which dates back to the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In Austria today, cremeschnitte consists of two sheets of butter pastry filled with cream. Two sheets are baked to the size of a baking tray. Then one sheet is cut into eight-centimetre-wide strips. The other sheet is spread with the cream, covered with the sheet cut into strips, sprinkled with icing sugar and cut into stripe pieces after the top cream has set.
Jedlersdorf
The foundation stone for today’s organic winery of the Christ family in Großjedlersdorf, formerly an island in the Danube floodplains, was laid around 400 years ago in the form of a small farm with livestock and fields. Today, the Rainer Christ produces wines from the best Bisamberger vineyards, such as Pinot Blanc from the 1ÖTW vineyard Falkenberg and Wiener Gemischter Satz from the 1ÖTW vineyard Wiesthalen.
Heiligenstadt
After visiting the wineries serving their own wine on the left bank of the Danube, we continue our tour after crossing the Danube on the right bank in Heiligenstadt. Heiligenstadt lies on a beach terrace of a former branch of the Danube to the north-west of the centre of Vienna and stretches up to the Kahlenberg. On Pfarrplatz, named after the parish church of St Jakob, one of the oldest churches in Vienna, at number 2 is the Beethoven House, a 17th century building with a village-like appearance. During the time Beethoven lived in the house at Pfarrplatz 2 in 1817, fragments of the „Eroica“ were composed.
Beethoven travelled to Heiligenstadt to visit the spring of a bathing establishment, which he hoped would alleviate his progressive deafness. The mineral spring was discovered in the steaming pools near the parish church of St Michael in Heiligenstadt and an analysis of the water revealed that the bath could be recommended for rheumatism, skin and liver problems.
After his deafness progressed despite bathing in the Heiligenstadt spring water, Beethoven wrote the so-called „Heiligenstadt Testament“, a letter to his brothers, which he never sent, in which he expressed his despair over his progressive deafness, because he was ashamed of his deafness, since in his time in the 19th century deaf people were considered stupid and ridiculous.
A monument to Ludwig van Beethoven, erected in 1910, can be found halfway up the eastern side of Heiligenstadt Park. The statue shows Ludwig von Beethoven on a stepped square pedestal with his hands clasped behind his back, framed by slender pillars arranged in a semicircle, on which a horizontal beam rests.
At Mayer am Pfarrplatz we can enjoy the local wine Wiener Gemischter Satz from Nußberg as well as the vineyard wines Wiener Gemischter Satz from Ried Preussen and Ried Langteufel. Both vineyards are south-facing slopes on the Nußberg with beautiful views of Vienna.
The soil of the Ried Preussen and the Ried Langteufel consists of sandstone with intermediate layers of clay and marlstone. In the south-eastern part of Ried Preussen there are also limestones and calcareous sandstones. Both vineyards are 1ÖTW sites. As mentioned above, a 1ÖTW site is a vineyard that produces wines that have proven to be the best representatives of their appellation over time.
In addition to the excellent wines from the Nußberg, the Mayer am Pfarrplatz wine tavern also serves classic hot and cold dishes from the traditional Heurigen buffet, where the dishes are served per piece or weighed out as required, which can then be eaten in the cosy courtyard of the winery. There is also a branch of the Mayer am Pfarrplatz on the Nußberg, the Mayer am Nußberg.
Nußberg
From Mayer on Pfarrplatz we move up to the Nußberg. The Nußberg is a 342 metre high mountain, north of Nussdorf, in front of the Kahlenberg. The Nussberg represents the eastern foothills of the Vienna Woods. Geologically, the Nussberg belongs to the flysch zone, which consists mainly of clay and sandstone. On the Nussberg, we can also savour the Riedenweine Wiener Gemischter Satz from Ried Preussen and Ried Langteufel at Mayer on Nußberg. As mentioned briefly above, both vineyards are so-called 1ÖTW sites.
Just above the Mayer on Nußberg is the bar of the Wailand winery, where only the regional wine of the Wiener Gemischter Satz is available. A little further down, at the bar of the Wieninger on Nußberg winery, there is another Riedenwein from the Nußberg, the Wiener Gemischter Satz Ried Weisleiten from the Hajszan Neumann winery.
The bar of Wieninger on Nußberg is located on the upper edge of the Ried Weisleiten. The soil of the Ried Weisleiten consists of more or less calcareous sandstone with intermediate layers of clay and marl. The special thing about the Ried Weisleiten is that it is a hillside site that is predominantly orientated to the north-east. So far on our tour of the best wineries serving their own wines, we have only tasted vineyard wines from vineyards facing south or south-east.
Grinzing
Grinzing was already a flourishing village at the beginning of the 12th century and in the Middle Ages it was mainly inhabited by farmers, winegrowers and day labourers. In the Biedermeier period, the area around Vienna was discovered by the Viennese citizens. After „wine trips“ to the surroundings of Vienna became common during the reign of Joseph II, Grinzing developed into a much-visited winery town with numerous winery bars during the Biedermeier period.
From Grinzing, take the lane named after Philipp Johann Count Cobenzl uphill to the Obermann organic winery. Count Cobenzl owned a castle-like building and a modern farm and dairy on the Latisberg. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spent some time working on The Magic Flute in one of the little houses of the dairy.
At the Obermann organic winery in Cobenzlgasse, you can sample a Viennese Gemischter Satz from the Sommeregg vineyard. The Sommeregg vineyard in Grinzing is a steep hillside site that mainly faces south-east. The soil of the Sommeregg vineyard consists of limestones and calcareous sandstones, which were formed at the edge of the ancient sea in the Vienna basin and are mainly composed of the skeletal remains of calcareous red algae.
Sievering
From the Obermann vineyard in Grinzing, the route continues up Cobenzlgasse to Cobenzl and along the Höhenstraße to Sievering. The Höhenstraße is a 15 km long scenic road on the western outskirts of Vienna, which runs from Leopoldsberg through the Vienna Woods to Neuwaldegg. Its construction was planned as early as 1905 but not realised until 1934 to combat unemployment.
Sievering is one of the most important wine villages in Vienna. Sievering is an elongated wine-growing village in the Arbesbach valley, where you have the opportunity to taste the vineyard wines Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Mitterberg, Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Reissern and Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Hackenberg at Weingut Kroiss in the lower part of the valley, in addition to a Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Sievering.
The Mitterberg vineyard is located on the south side of the Neuberg in Neustift am Walde. It is a south-facing slope with soil consisting of claystone, clay marl and marl. Marl is made up of about half clay and half limestone and was formed from mud that accumulated in thick layers at the bottom of the prehistoric seas in the Vienna Basin.
The Ried Reissern borders the Ried Mitterberg to the east. It is a south-facing slope in Sievering with the same subsoil as the Ried Mitterberg. Ried Hackenberg in Sievering is orientated to the south-east. The soil of Ried Hackenberg contains flysch rocks to the north and gravel and conglomerates from the Vienna Basin further south.
There is a quarry in Sievering. The flysch common in the Vienna Woods has special limestone inclusions in Sievering, which were used by the Romans for the walls of their Viennese camp. In the 18th century, Sievering sandstones were used for cobblestones and cat stones, which transformed the streets of Vienna into a metropolitan pavement.
Neustift am Walde
From Sievering, we continue westwards along Agnesgasse to Neustift am Walde, an old winegrowing village with two long rows of houses at the foot of the Hackenberg. In the rustic bar of the Fuhrgassl Huber winery, you can taste the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Neustift am Walde as well as the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Neuberg „68er“ from the Neustift Neuberg vineyard.
The Ried Neuberg is a south-facing slope above the Fuhrgassl – Huber vineyard that stretches from Neustift to Salmannsdorf. The subsoil of the Ried Neuberg is composed of flysch rock. The name of the Ried Neuberg goes back to a piece of mountain land freshly cleared for viticulture.
Neustift am Walde is famous for its Kirtag. The Neustift Kirtag takes place every year on the feast day of St Rochus in August. After the festive mass, the procession takes place with the Neustift winegrowers‘ crown and the erection of the guardian tree. After a poor harvest, the winegrowers of Neustift went to Empress Maria Theresa with a harvest crown and asked for tax exemption.
The Empress waived the payments on the condition that a Kirtag be held every year. Since 2020, the procession with the Hauerkrone has been a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. From Neustift am Walde, we first continue along the Wiener Höhenstraße and then via Schottenhof and Hütteldorf to Mauer on the edge of the Vienna Woods in the south-west of Vienna.
Mauer
The old town of Mauer is a Grabenanger village along today’s main square and Endresstraße, characterised by the Mauer parish church, which is dedicated to St. Erhard. On Mauer’s main square is the bar of the Zahel winery, where Richard Zahel recognised the potential of the Viennese Gemischter Satz around 30 years ago.
Today, the Demeter Zahel winery is run organically by Alexander Zahel in the 4th generation. The winery has around 33 hectares of vineyards in Mauer, Oberlaa and on the Nussberg. The Wiener Gemischter Satz Nußberg DAC with 13% alcohol by volume contains the grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer. It tastes fruity and elegant with a slight spiciness and subtle minerality and has a long finish.
Meat from the neck of the pig is used for Mostviertel roast pork because it is marbled with fat and is well suited for roasting whole. Mostbratl tastes slightly of must because it is infused with pear must during roasting. Sauerkraut is fermented white cabbage that is steamed and eaten as a side dish with Mostbratl. White cabbage makes semi-round, firm heads and contains relatively high levels of vitamin C, which protects against colds.
In addition to the Gemischter Satz Mauer, we can also sample the Gemischter Satz Ried Johannespointen and Gemischter Satz Ried Kaasgraben Nussberg vineyards at the bar of the Zahel winery. The Johannespointen vineyard is located in the Oberlaa local wine-growing area in the south-east of Vienna. The vineyard slopes to the north-east. The soil of Ried Johannespointen consists of black earth based on loess.
The Ried Kaasgraben, located on a slope in Sievering, is orientated to the east. The soil of the Ried Kaasgraben consists of old sands and gravels that were deposited in the former sea of the Vienna Basin which disappeared around eleven million years ago and subsequently formed the delta of the ancient Danube in the Vienna Basin.
It’s just a stone’s throw from the Zahel winery to the Edlmoser winery in Mauer, where you can choose dishes from the buffet to accompany excellent wines. The homemade sheet cakes, such as apple pie, are particularly popular. Half of the dough is spread directly onto the baking tray, the peeled, cored and sliced apples are spread on top before the second half of the dough is spread over the filling.
In addition to the local wine Maurerberg Wiener Gemischter Satz, the Edlmoser winery also serves the vineyard wines Ried Himmel Maurerberg Gemischter Satz and Ried Saetzen Maurerberg Gemischter Satz. Maurerberg is the name given to the flank of the Georgenberg that slopes down to the Reichen Liesing stream. The vineyards on the Maurerberg enjoy all-day sunshine due to their orientation.
The Himmel vineyards are inclined to the east. The soil of the Ried Himmel contains rock consisting of angular gravel and block-sized boulders held together by a fine-grained matrix. The vineyards of the Ried Saetzen on the Maurerberg border the Ried Himmelreich to the east and slope southwards.
The subsoil of the Ried Saetzen is the same as that of the Ried Himmelreich. Both Ried Himmel Maurerberg and Ried Saetzen Maurerberg are 1ÖTW sites. As already mentioned several times, a 1ÖTW site is a vineyard that produces wines that have proven to be the best representatives of their appellation over the course of time.
From the Edlmoser winery, you only have to walk down Maurer Lange Gasse, one of the longest streets in Maurer with many winery bars, to reach the Hofer winery bar. There you can enjoy the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Maurerberg from the Hofer winery as well as the Riedenwein Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC Ried Kadolzberg.
The Kadolzberg vineyard, 70% of which is planted with Gemischter Satz, is considered the most important vineyard in Maurer. At 13 hectares, it is relatively large, borders the Lainzer Tiergarten to the south and slopes predominantly to the east with a view over Vienna. The soil of the Kadolzberg vineyard consists of sand and gravel, deposits from the sea that filled the Vienna Basin around 12 million years ago.
From the Hofer winery, we turn left twice around the bend and arrive at the last winery on our tour of Vienna’s best wineries serving their own wine, the Fuchs-Steinklammer winery in Mauer. As the Fuchs-Steinklammer family vinifies wines from grapes grown on the Bisamberg and in Mauer, you can also taste the vineyard wines Wiener Gemischter Satz Ried Wiesthalen from Bisamberg besides Gemischter Satz – Jesuit Ried Kadolzberg from Mauer in addition to the Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC.
The special thing at the end of our tour to the best wineries in Vienna that serve their own wine is that the Fuchs-Steinklammer organic winery in Mauer also has a red Gemischter Satz, because the Gemischter Satz is a wine speciality made from up to twenty white or red grape varieties that are planted in a mixture in the vineyard.
A trip to the winery bars above the Danube and in the south of Vienna is worthwhile, as unlike the wineries in Grinzing and Neustift am Walde, they are frequented more by locals than tourists.
The History of Wine growing in Vienna
The history of wine-growing in Vienna has a long tradition. The Celts and Illyrians are said to have cultivated vines on the slopes of the Vienna Woods in 400 BC. With the victory of the Romans over the Celts and the founding of the province of Noricum, viticulture spread further. At this time, the soldiers of the Roman army were given a daily ration of around 0.5 litres of wine.
Wine-growing in Vienna led to a further upswing in the 12th century when the Babenbergs relocated their residence to Vienna in 1170. Around 1300 wine-growing in Vienna became further widespread thanks to the conversion from arable farming to viticulture and because citizens became allowed to acquire vineyards that were at the time in the neighbouring villages of Grinzing, Nussdorf, Döbling and Währing, suburbs of todays Vienna. When the city’s viticulture reached its peak in the late Middle Ages, the vineyards expanded to the west and south.
The religious orders also played a role in Viennese viticulture. The Augustinian monastery of St Dorothea, the Augustinians, the Minorites, the Scots and many female monasteries, such as the one in the Himmelpforten, owned vineyards in the surrounding areas of Vienna.
Wine played a central role in Vienna such as that as early as 1458, the Italian humanist and secretary to Emperor Frederick III (1415-1493), Enea Silvio Piccolomini (1405-1464), who would later become Pope under the name Pius II, described Vienna’s special significance as a wine city with its surrounding vineyards stretching as far south as Baden:
Every house in Vienna had its own wine cellar, so that it could have been said that Vienna was no less built under than on the ground. The grape harvest in the neighbouring villages lasted forty days. 1200 horses were needed every day to carry wagons with mash and must back and forth twice and three times a day. It is incalculable how much wine was imported to Vienna from their neighbouring villages every year, which was drunk there or shipped to other countries on the Danube.