The annual pear tree blossom set amidst those wide open spaces allows for undisturbed views. What appears as poetry to the ears is actually a feast for all the senses. Right here, in one of the most beautiful areas of Lower Austria, pear & other fruit trees mark the countryside. They are said to number close to one million, while 50 years ago there were some three million fruit trees left – on an area the size of about 5.000 square kilometres. You can either start counting now … or relax, lean back & hit “Play” while joining me on this trip to magic Mostviertel … !
“Rent A Sepp”: Service, Experience, Professionalism, Personality!
What on Earth is a SEPP? While in German, this expression recalls a nickname for “Joseph”, in our case no handsome young Joseph came round the corner (perhaps this was for the better ?! 😉 ). The one who came was the charming and incredibly knowledgeable local lady Maria. She just had it all: Service? Experience? Professionalism? Personality!? She had it all and won us over in no time.
For an entire day, our “SEPP” joined us as our local, personalised travel guide exploring the Lower Austrian Mostviertel district, cruising along the Must Pass Road (using e-bikes!), through the park at Seitenstetten Abbey (just beautiful) and highlighting the top vantage points in the area. Besides, Maria kept telling us many a local story about the Mostviertel people, their traditional sense of hospitality, their Mostheuriger taverns as well as the “Mostbarone” local farmers association. So who are the “Must Barons”, besides being important as their title might say? Well, you’ll have to read on!
The entire day, “SEPP” Maria joins us during our walk and exploration of the Mostviertel district, like here in the famous abbey park of Stift Seitenstetten.
Here, we get to see the pear tree blossoms close-up: In only six months’ time, there will be another harvest. And out of the fruit these blossoms will bear, the sweet must juice is harvested.
Charming Maria, our “SEPP” for the day!
In the abbey library, we find many a book on the kind of harvest work that was done in earlier times, when no machines were used to replace manual labour and everything was literally “hand-picked”.
Here in the south-westernmost tip of the Mostviertel district, we visit the Dorferhof farm, a leading farm holidays member, and feel “at home” instantly. What a beautiful place in the countryside!
The owners welcome us here serving us typical Mostviertel must – what else!
This pool is where the former inner courtyard was, now offering families the possibility to relax and enjoy their holidays right on a farm.
This cosy parlour offers seats for up to 80 people, an aspect of hospitality that is common throughout the Mostviertel district. We take a seat and enjoy a chit-chat with the owners about life in this area.
A view across the land: At the time of the pear tree blossom, the landscape is especially pretty to look at!
“Most Relaxed” with culinary & must delights in the Mostviertel
I have to really recommend you something now. I guess as a travel blogger, that’s what we do: To give you some good old, personalised storytelling and point you in the right direction with our experiences. I really recommend you stay at the RelaxResort Hotel Kothmühle, which has won me over with its relaxed and modern, yet typical regional ambiance – a successful combination of both. Beautiful really, is the elaborate breakfast buffet selection that lets my travel blogging colleagues Monika & Petar Fuchs of Travel World Online and me forget about the time repeatedly .. being busy eating and chatting ! (I guess for checking out the walking and jogging trails, I will have to come back myself another time … )
Going out for dinner is another great story. The Landhaus Stift Ardagger boasts a chef’s hat for its excellent cuisine, such as Mostviertel beef, typical sheep cheese or famous “Mostini” drinks, a mix of pear juice, pear must & Vermouth. Just so good! Have a look at this.
The sauna & wellness area of the RelaxResort Hotel Kothmühle invite you to linger.
What a nice surprise: The hottest sauna is across the courtyard and a beautiful, local ambiance provided.
In the evening, the “world comes to and end”: Feasting in style at the Landhaus Stift Ardagger restaurant savouring excellent local cuisine. Delightful!
Gudrun, our busy organiser in the Mostviertel, introduces us to the “Salon des Mostes”, an international tasting event she organised only weeks ago receiving great acclaim from colleagues and visitors to the area. Well done, Gudrun!
Mostviertel sheep cheese, beautifully decorated using nuts, fruit and salad leaves in a tasty Must Balsamic sauce. WANT (again)!
Prost to you, dear readers: In Mostviertel, they say “GESUNDHEIT – SOLLST LEBEN” instead of Prost, meaning “HEALTH – THOU SHALT LIVE”!
Most Tasting Event “Russian Roulette” at the Distelbergerhof Must Farm
Situated straight at the highway exit Amstetten West, our “Mostbaron” Toni Distelberger welcomes us to his Distelbergerhof estate completely dressed in his traditional suit. Including a hat. This hat is what really started the must farmers’ association whose goal is to market the Mostviertel must produce to a national and international audience. “Der Distelberger Toni, der hat halt als einer der Ersten den Hut aufgesetzt – und damit ein Signal für uns alle!”, is what another farmer and “Mostbaron” Karl Hauer tells us during the “Day of the Must“, indicating it was the representative hut that got everybody else on board as a sign of local and regional identity. All this vision and hard work shall be honoured: Fascinated, we take a seat at the “Must Roulette”, a tasting event that we tweet and share live with our followers on Social Media. A professional must tasting event such as this is not so easy for complete beginners like us, but of course means a lot of fun! And the good part is, you do not really get drunk either: Must is good for you. … Great !!
“Family photograph”: At the end of our stay, we pose in front of the Distelbergerhof. It is such a nice and uncomplicated atmosphere here, that we come to really appreciate during our time in the Mostviertel.
Monika and I have a hard time not laughing at all the jokes and situations fuelled with local stories by Gudrun and Toni Distelberger, our “must” expert and host for the day. Wonderful.
Mmmmh … Maybe the laughter were due to these famous bottles of must … ?!
Tasty delights, such as this sweet apple or pear mustard, taste twice as well in the early morning heat of the spring sunshine. We LIKE!
Last but not least, we stop at the 400 years old “Schiffsmeisterhaus” in Ardagger near the Danube river for lunch, enjoying – what else – more stories by local host Bernhard Toferer who just knows how to entertain his guests. Good for him – and for us!
Lunch in the “Schiffsmeisterhaus”, completed by must drinks, of course …
… this is what a typical onion roast with home-made pasta has to look like. And taste like, I can say. Delicious !!
The pears are what fascinate me. Not only in the tree blossoms. They are literally everywhere: A whole new level of regional branding to my eyes. I find them even on tiles, in the street or cut out from a bush. Impressive! Well done for creating a unique sense of place, guys!
Disclaimer: We have been invited by Mostviertel Tourismus to travel in the Mostviertel & experience this year’s traditional Must Spring Festival. All opinions are my own.