Competing reasons to seek out good wine in a capital city that produces it within its limits

by Candler Lowe

VIENNA, Austria—On the outskirts of Vienna, cobblestone streets are lined with taverns and wine-making operations, seemingly all of them with flower boxes adorning their windows. Many present passers-by with cozy tables and chairs.

Most of Vienna’s wineries also own a vineyard. In addition to producing great wine, the wine-growing area in northwest Vienna is known for its biking and hiking.

Between and often behind these shops roll picturesque vineyards that can cover miles of Vienna’s skirting hills. Tempting smells from tavern kitchens and eruptions of laughter and bonhomie are common experiences walking this area of Vienna known as Grinzing.

In this quaint, historic district, there are at least two types of wineries: Those that cater to tourists and those that seek more to cultivate a loyal following among Vienna’s locals.

Straddling the fence

Josef Schmidt understands both types of businesses. As assistant winemaker for Cobenzl Winery, a commercial winery that he says is the second largest in the city limits, he spends his days promoting Viennese wine to the tourist trade. But Schmidt also is part of a winemaking family that runs a traditional Viennese “heuriger,” the Heuriger Schilling, or a winery and tavern aimed more at “true” Viennese.

Founded by Schmidt’s grandparents in 1947, Heuriger Schilling is managed by Schmidt’s uncle, Herbert Schilling, the tavern’s winemaker, and his mother, Getti Schmidt, chef.

Schmidt said he began working at his family’s business as soon as he was old enough to walk. As a result, he said that though he appreciates the wine that Cobenzl makes, there are drawbacks to catering to tourists.

At a tourist winery, it is more about selling the wine and less about making it, he said. For example, Cobenzl relies on sales data to determine what wines sell and what the market wants, whereas at Heuriger Schilling, his uncle can speak directly with customers about the wine Heuriger Schilling makes and sells, Schmidt said.  

“My uncle can go to every table and ask questions,” Schmidt said, “which is better because you can talk with the customer and he can tell you what he thinks about the wine. They tell him if they like his wine, and if they don’t like it, they explain why not. This is something that the bigger places do not get to do.”

Atmosphere and ambience

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the wineries that locals frequent and those looking to appeal to the bus loads of internationals that wash up on Vienna’s shores is that intangible called atmosphere.

Viennese are typically quiet and at ease with each other. This quiet enjoyment typifies the ambience at taverns like Heuriger Schilling, Schmidt said, whereas at the tourist “traps,” the atmosphere is louder and more frantic. 

Heuriger Schilling’s regulars come in more than once a week, he said. Schmidt’s customers at Cobenzl, on the other hand, he will likely see only once.

“Unless a tourist were to find it by accident or be told by a local, they will not know” Heuriger Schilling, Schmidt said.

Tourists rarely venture off the main road, after all, which is another reason Schmidt said some of Vienna’s best wineries are “secrets,” at least to tourists.

Vienna’s most famous wine

A heuriger is a traditional, specially licensed wine tavern that makes its own wine. In Vienna, heurigers are concentrated in the cobblestoned area of Grinzing.

Although the atmosphere of the wineries may be different, one thing that most of Vienna’s wineries have in common is Wiener Gemischte Satz, the local wine for which Grinzing is famed.

Wiener Gemischte Satz has been popular because it is inexpensive to produce and, therefore, to buy as consumers, and because relative to most wine varieties, it takes little time to mature. More recently, however, it has become famed also for its taste.

“Wiener Gemischte Satz is made by different grapes being planted in one field and harvested together and fermented together,” said Paul Keifer, export manager for Mayer am Pfarrplatz, another Grinzing heuriger. “It’s the most typical wine in Vienna.

Vienna’s geography is perfect for growing and making this type of wine.

“It is a very special quality that is influenced by the Danube River, perfect for the many grape varieties and the city has the Viennese forests which creates a great climate,” Keifer said.

For Schmidt, wines like Wiener Gemischte Satz and the people who gather to enjoy them together are reasons to love the trade. In fact, he said he hopes to move from Cobenzl into the family business to be able to make good wine for Viennese.

Marianne Schmidt, Josef’s sister and the confectioner chef at Heuriger Schilling, said that the reason drinking wine in Vienna is so popular is because it brings people together and provides a sense of community.

Drinking good wine “leads to conversations (even) with the people at the next table,” she said.