Neu angelegter Weingarten in Abendstimmung
Junger Sproß einer Rebe
Food & Wine

Viennese Wine Bars: Multi-Culti (1)

While you can try Austria’s dry, spicy, food-loving white wines, fashionable reds, and decadent dessert wines at leading restaurants around the world, there is no better place to get an in-depth view of Austria’s dynamic, trendy wine scene than in its cosmopolitan capital.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to bore you with five-course degustation menus at pricy Viennese gourmet temples or cozy, romantic visits to the Heurigen among the vineyards on the outskirts of the city; you can read about those in any standard guidebook. I invite you to join me with the young, stylish Viennese in their newest favorite pastime, swirling Austrian wine in long-stemmed Riedels in the ever-growing number of inner city wine bars.

As we step out of the U4 subway at Naschmarkt, we are immediately greeted by the potent fragrance of exotic foods and the lively holler and bustle of Vienna’s historic outdoor market. Everyone knows Vienna for its operas and waltzes, its coffee houses and castles, and the Prater amusement park, but this is the multi-cultural Vienna of everyday. This centuries old marketplace is built over the Danube and combines the typical Viennese sales spiel with the atmosphere of an oriental bazaar. Here we can barter, badger, and bargain to our hearts content while sampling everything from bratwurst to calamari, sushi to kebab on our way to our first stop

Wein & Co. Naschmarkt Bar

Getreidemarkt 1, 6th District
Open: Monday through Friday 10 am to 12 pm, Saturday 9 am to 12 pm, Sunday 11 am to 12 pm

This is the original bar from the eccentric Wine & Co. merchant Heinz Kammerer and it is the totally hip place for wine lovers to meet. Not only can you can choose from over 100 wines by the glass, you can buy a bottle in the adjoining shop and drink it in the bar for only an additional 2 Euro cork fee! I spy a wine I’ve been dying to try from southeast Styria, the Sauvignon Blanc from the Moarfeitl vineyard produced by the Neumeister winery. The long growing season, cool nights, and muschelkalk soil make Styria predestined for Sauvignon Blanc and other crisp, dry, aromatic white wines. I am lucky enough to be here in the spring, so I try the Austrian white asparagus from the famous Marchfeld along with this wine.

Winetime

Zollergasse 5, 7th District
Open: Monday through Saturday from 4 pm to 12 pm

The stylish, but cozy interior of this little wine bar combines brick walls with shining stainless steel and dark rich wood. The patron, Manfred Strametz, searched the country for the best organic products from the most dedicated artisan producers for his kitchen. You can watch Manfred cook while chatting with friends and listening to truly good tunes. This friendly place offers over 25 different wines by the glass. I take Manfred’s suggestion of scrambled eggs with truffles and a glass of Fred Loimer’s Chardonnay. This bright, crisp un-oaked Chardonnay from the Kamptal district of Lower Austria has enough mouth-filling body to carry the decadent earthiness of the truffles.

 

[1]

Roman, Vinzenz, Julia (the author), and Bogdan enjoy the choice of over 100 different wines at the Wein & Co. Bar.
Roman, Vinzenz, Julia (the author), and Bogdan enjoy the choice of over 100 different wines at the Wein & Co. Bar.

Service personnel in Vienna have good wine sense.
Service personnel in Vienna have good wine sense.