I'm am looking for some information about how the Wachau is set up for wine tourism.
Can you drop in or do you have to make a reservation in advance? Also, is a tasting fee usually charged and if so how much?
Also interested to hear any specific recommendations of places to try :-)
Will you have a car?
I've copied and pasted a response I gave on a similar topic. Perhaps you can contact some these wineries and ask your questions.
Here is a copy of some notes from an Austrian friend regarding wineries:
WEINGUT KNOLL----in Unterloiben, famous wines and an excellent Restaurant "Loibnerhof"
DOMÄNE WACHAU----Dürnstein: the only cooperative in the valley. Great selection of good wines.
WEINGUT SCHMIDL----just 200 meters down the road--Organic wines-good.
FX PICHLER----Dürnsein: the star of winemakers. Very modern and sterile-but good wines, pricey though.
next village is WEISSENKIRCHEN:
lots of great HEURIGEN there.
WEINGUT PRAGER: Famous Winery, great wines.
Next village Joching:
WEINGUT JOSEF JAMEK--the godfather of winemaking in the valley- good wines and good restaurant
WEINGUT HOLZAPFEL----courtyard with the Restaurant on a sunny day fantastic.
Next village Wösendorf:
RUDI PICHLER---a new star, very nice wines, expensive.
Next village Spitz:
WEINGUT HIRTZBERGER: the new Number One of winemakers.
WEINGUT LAGLER: Nice wines, great views, nice hotel.
These are just a few of the best from more than 500 wineries in the valley, but there is a winery on every corner.
If you go by car you should have a teetotaler as driver.
Emily is providing you with good information. It is an easy bike ride from Weissenkirchen to Dürnstein or Joching or Spitz if you want to avoid driving. There are plenty of choices. A sign in central Weissenkirchen was kept up to date with which heurigen were open in the town itself. The Wachau is an incredibly beautiful experience to enjoy. A true heurige offers cold food with the wine, some like Ferdl Denk are more like a restaurant with hot selections. You purchase your glass of wine and food, and any bottles you wish to take along. No reservations were needed in late August/early September. We sampled five different places and all were lovely. Go in and look around, sit down if it appeals to you. A bit of German is helpful. We were treated well everywhere.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and information.
I will have a car, but that doesn't pair well with the wine, so will be cycling and exploring on foot once there ;-)
Sounds like the thing to do is hop along to the various Heurigers, rather than having a formal tasting flight such as at a North American winery. Sounds good to me, now I have a better idea what to expect!
Austrian wine culture is my favorite. No pretense. Enjoy!
You can have a formal wine tasting, but then it is expected that you buy a considerable amount of wine (or pay just for the tasting).
That is great to hear Schteffi. I am so looking forward to enjoying the Austrian wine culture when international travel is on again. It is relatively hard to source Austrian wine (specifically Wachau) in Canada so am looking forward to trying a variety while there.
wmt1- thanks for the heads up. I always expect to at least pay for the tasting. It is a rare bonus when it is free!
There is a wine museum (also sells wines) in a valley near Dürnstein. In Kamptal I think.
The favorite part of our trip to Austria was spending time in heurige in Vienna. We didn't eat there, although we probably should have. My wife was so enthused that she has designated our back deck the "Heuriger-of-the-Frozen-North".
