If you think of the hashtag #indiegrean as a combination of Austrian dialect with English language, you aren’t far off. I for myself even thought of “Indie music” when I first came across #indiegrean. And even though the whole country is truly & fully filled by music when it comes to wine and food here in the Weinviertel district at the eastern edge of Lower Austria, “In die Grean gehen” literally means to head out of town and into the green. Celebrating the first signs of spring, with a good glass of wine, some local music and naturally, great food that is.
“Jo, wenn’s woit’s, kemma do a glei an Blick einewerf’n …” Talking advanced Austrian (for beginners: “Go come check this out!”), are Josef Pleil, our local wine expert for the day, together with certified (wine) tour guide Herbert Kraus. Both point eagerly at the countless little wine cellars huddled together in their pretty little cellar lanes, a picturesque band of history gone landscape sculpting following centuries of traditional viticulture. The Weinviertel – Nomen Est Omen! – is literally full of wine, and it is the first tender sprouts of wine spring we have come to experience for a day here #indiegrean.
At 10.00 a.m. in the morning, it is with glasses of Grüner Veltliner Weinviertel we stand. Strong.
This is how we do it: Happy start to an early Weinviertel excursion with my Austrian colleagues Claudia at Freets.at, Angelika at Wiederunterwegs.com, Martin at Gehlebt.at as well as Lucie at DieKremserinOnTheGo.com.
Josef Pleil, who welcomes us here, is a well-respected wine grower and former head of the Austrian Wine Marketing Association …
… who clearly has a story or two for us wishing to know more about wine growing, local traditions, nature & life around Wolkersdorf.
And, ah, yes, the Weinviertel is also called the “Windviertel” by some: Windy we stand, that day. 😀
My personal tip: Always head for those picturesque little cellar lanes, like this one here in Wolkersdorf. No wind over here, and you are virtually alone enjoying this blend of cultural landscape with lush green nature …
… a landscape that is characterised by many centuries of wine growing …
… informing visitors during a “Wein + Kultur” trail about more details concerning wine and traditions. For the English version: Check with your local guides!
Walking through the cellar lanes and vineyards, I cannot help but feel pride in the work of our ancestors, who have left us this picturesque, unique cultural wine landscape to look at and enjoy.
Both Josef Pleil and Herbert Kraus are naturally good storytellers, I must say. Or is it the fact we are constantly handed a glass of excellent wine here? Out and about or inside the typical Heurigen wine tavern, stories are what make up the Weinviertel, as much as the wine itself.
Enjoy your meal: No Weinviertel visit without having stopped at the traditional Heurigen bar, a family-run inn with tasty, home-made spreads, ham and cheese. “Spanish tapas” gone Austria, really.!
Herbert Kraus holds the key …
… to many local wine cellars, such as this one opening up for guided cellar visits and wine tastings every Wednesday at 3.00 p.m.
What once was a hard working necessity, today remains as a picturesque image into past life of the Weinviertel.
The idea that some wine cellars are even used as creative workshops is something I particularly like: “Gerti’s Creative World”, proclaimed by this wine cellar in the cellar lane of Wolkersdorf.
At the end of our #indiegrean day trip, the Weinviertel has one more surprise for us: A quick visit to a traditional cellar lane party, “Kellergassenfest”. Must-do and -see here!
Since the beginning of (my) time, “cellar lane parties” are part of what makes up the area I live in. The “Days of the Open Cellar Door” are where people meet, drink, laugh, and spend their whole lives really: Life in this area in the southern Weinviertel, only twenty minutes north of the border with the capital city Vienna, is by no means an exception. Hailing from the nearby Kamptal wine growing area and used to “Kellergassenfest” for as long as I can think, I have to smile at the fact that I am now back as an international travel blogger writing about it for the attention of the world out there.
Love it. Check this out.
Welcome to the cellar lane of Pillichsdorf, just a stone’s throw away from Wolkersdorf, the start of our trip …
… with “home-grown” music …
… and pretty tractors (not just the ladies are highlighted here) …
… and where even the wine is dressed in the pretty colours of art and spring.
My tip for you: Head over to Heuriger Faber. Good location, nice views, good food and great wine!
… as well as having a look at what my fellow Austrian travel writers have shared from their point of view (Google Translate should help you with a rough idea of their content, plus the pictures are stunning!):
- Angelika (WiederUnterwegs.com): “In die Grean gehen oder: ‘Ein Achterl zum Frühstück’!”
- Lucia (DieKremserinOnTheGo.com): “Willkommen im Windviertel”
- Claudia (Freets.at): “In die Grean gehen: Vom Wein Trinken, Frühling Begrüßen, von windigen Aussichten und alten Kellergassen”
- Martin (Gehlebt.at): “Weinviertler Brauchtum: In die Grean gehen” (with funny, original Weinviertel podcast sounds!)
Offers to organize your stay #indiegrean are available from Easter all the way till May. Check out http://www.weinviertel.at/grean for more!
Disclaimer: We have been invited by Weinviertel Tourismus to head out #indiegrean for one day. Thanks to Angelika for all her help and assistance in the organisation! All opinions are my own.