Yesterday morning my wife and I went for our usual walk in the hood. Nice, sunny Autumn weather. We noticed that there were a lot of people walking in the same direction as us; towards the vineyards. Then it became clear why. Friends and family of the grower were showing up to pick grapes. It was so cool to see whole families pitching in. Men schlepping big blue bins of grapes. Families picking with serious intent. Kids running between the rows. It was a scene right out of a movie. In Neustift am Walde (at the very edge of Vienna) there is a giant hillside covered with vines, but individual parcels of the vineyards might be quite small. Anyway, it tickled us to see the harvest season kicking off. In the weeks to come there will be a lot more of it. We love being so close to the vines and watching the progress each year. Looks like a nice harvest this year, as it has been a mild-to-hot summer without too much bad weather.
Thomas - thanks for painting such a lovely picture!!
Thomas, my husband and I lived in Vienna back in the early 80's. We lived in Nussdorf and there were vineyards behind our building. We use to walk up to Kahlenberg and look out over the city. Nothing better than an evening in a neighborhood heuriger, drinking that great Austrian wine. Great memories.
Someday I'll get to Vienna during harvest season. Sounds amazing!