Heuringen

The vineyard fell away from the deck where we perched on wooden benches at a wooden table, slopping steeply into the valley towards the muddy Danube. The spire of an old church poked above the trees near the river. Over the opposite hill, Vienna, we knew, spread far and wide. But we felt far from the hustle of the city.

We were more than half way up Kahlenberg, sampling a tart white wine produced right there, from the grapes in that vineyard, by the family serving us. We were beginning to learn the ropes of another fantastic Viennese institution, the Heuringen (sing. Heuringer), essentially local wine houses that usually only sell their wine directly to the thirsty individuals who follow the sign of the Busch’n, the wreath or branch hanging outside that announces: Wine is available! This is wine you will not find in a commercial wine shop. Often a small buffet of homemade food is available to accompany the main event.

I had started my Heuringen tour on my own, taking the 38A bus to the summit of Kahlenberg and then winding slowly down the narrow road that zigzagged through the hill’s woods and vineyards. At first I had the path to myself, but as I approached the first Heuringer on my list, Hirt, I converged with a group of international business students, mostly Americans, who I had noticed on the bus. Somehow I ended up being “adopted” by the group, and ended spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with them as we hopped from Heuringer to Heuringer, descending the hill.

Our final stop was in one of the “villages” (now essentially Viennese suburbs) near the base of Kahlenberg. Here the Heuringen are thick, and some are mobbed with tourists bused in from the city center to experience “authentic” Viennese culture. Thankfully, many of the others are all but untouched by this phenomenon. We settled on the Heuringer Feuerwehr Wagner, unassuming from the street, but a lovely ramble of courtyards and gardens full of Austrians (not tourists!) eating and drinking merrily. Besides good wine, they served perhaps the best schnitzel I’ve tasted so far (why is it that a piece of pounded meat, breaded and deep-fried, tastes so good?).
As the evening drew to a close, I reflected on the surprises that solo travel can bestow. I had begun with the intention simply to sample a glass of wine here and there and move on. But by chance I got to join a larger group, providing an incentive to make more of an event of the tour. It made the experience much richer to share it with others. One can perhaps enjoy a Viennese Kaffehaus when alone, but the Heuringen are about a shared joy of drink and food. There needs to more of such in the world.

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