Vienna Feature

For a memorable experience, sit at the edge of a vineyard on the Kahlenberg with a tankard of young white wine and listen to the Schrammel quartet playing sentimental Viennese songs. The wine taverns, called Heurigen (the singular is Heurige) after the new wine that they serve, sprang up in 1784 when Joseph II decreed that owners of vineyards could establish their own private wine taverns; soon the Viennese discovered it was cheaper to go out to the wine than to bring it inside the city walls, where taxes were levied. The Heurige owner is supposed to be licensed to serve only the produce of his own vineyard, a rule more honored in the breach than the observance. These taverns in the wine-growing districts on the outskirts of the city vary from the simple front room of a vintner's house to ornate settings. The true Heurige is open for only a few weeks a year to allow the vintner to sell a certain quantity of his production, tax-free, when consumed on his own premises. The choice is usually between a "new" and an "old" white (or red) wine, but you can also ask for a milder or sharper wine according to your taste. Most Heurigen are happy to let you sample the wines before you order. You can also order a Gespritzter, half wine and half soda water. The waitress brings the wine, usually in a ¼-liter mug or liter carafe, but you serve yourself from the food buffet.