heuriger...pumpkin soufflè

Posted by Hans (Heiligeneich, Austria) on 25 July 2008 in Food & Cuisine and Portfolio.

Many visitors to Vienna wish to visit a Heurigen (wine tavern). Heuriger means "this year's wine", and the Heurigen began as a way for winemakers to offer tastings of their new wine with a few nibbles, and hopefully sell a few bottles. With the advent of mass tourism, Heurigen evolved into year-round ventures serving full meals, often accompanied by traditional Viennese Schrammel music played on the accordion and violin.

The best known area is Grinzing (end station of the streetcar line #38, but other areas such as Nussdorf , Sievering and Neustift have nice places too. Part of the fun of visiting Heurigen is to take a tram or bus out to the suburbs and wander round looking for a likely place.

Unless you have made a reservation , just walk in a place and have a look- if you like it seat yourself. The waiter will take your drink order and keep a running tab which you pay at the end of the evening. Wines are usually sold open, and bought by the glass - an achterl (1/8 litre), or a viertel (1/4 litre), or by a half-litre carafe. Most places also have a selection of bottled wines. Waiters generally will not interrupt your evening, so when you want to order more or pay up ("Zahlen bitte!"), you will need to attract their attention.

Many only serve drinks at your table, and for food you must visit the buffet (sorry not all you can eat) food is nicely displayed- often you pay by weight of the meat or salad you buy- not expensive.