The Life of an Ex-pat Foxhound: Wien Weinwandertag!

Plans for a short weekend getaway were changed by events beyond our control, but no worries. Clayton Theodore was all too happy to board the 38A bus with us to the top of the vineyards for the annual Wien Weinwandertag weekend hike through the vines. Sunshine and blue skies accompanied us, as well.

We found it amusing that the woman in blue looks terrified of Clayton Theodore. All he wanted was love.

Clayton Theodore's arthritis is steady-state, but we still stopped often for him to rest. And, let us just be honest, for us to enjoy sturm and snacks. What would a Weinwandertag be without the snacks?

A particularly long stretch of our walk took us not only uphill, but also along a creek.  Outdoor time, snacks, and a creek to romp in for Cletus! But he is not spoiled.

The culinary pinnacle of our trek was Mayer am Nussberg, one of Vienna's premiere Buschenschank atop Nußberg.  On the previous two Weinwandertag we have enjoyed stopping here for some rather well-prepared traditional heuriger food, and for the most part our third visit was pleasant. Along our trek we encountered what we dubbed, "not very wandertag-like behavior": overcrowded trials, crazy cyclists, people impatient with Tony (who uses hiking poles to balance the weight on his recovering knee and ankle) and families with slow-moving children, and so on. At the Buschenschank we watched numerous parties practically come to fisticuffs to secure a red lounge chair in the sun. People, really? Grab one of the blankets provided and make a picnic.

Four hours and 7km later, we all had our second Weinwandertag pins. And a tired puppy.

Wien Wein WanderTag 2013. We Got Our Bling!

On the last weekend in September Vienna hosts “Wien Weinwandertag,” in two of the wine growing districts of the city.  While the vineyards are always “open” to hikers, many of the smaller wine buildings are not, making this weekend a great time to head into the hills (even if you don’t imbibe). Information points are set up, offering maps and the opportunity to earn a “Wien Wein Wandern” pin for hiking at least 3km of the 11km trail.  Paths are marked, and dozens of vineyards open their temporary “Wienbau” and “Buschenschank” for hikers to taste the new wine, sturm, or sample a vineyards own wine. Traditional heuriger foods of dark breads with spreads are available to purchase, as well.

Last year Tony and I were rookies and hiked just 5 km of the path in the 19^th district. We had only moved to Austria a few months before and weren’t quite prepared for hiking uphill. This year was different, though.  On Saturday morning, with the sun shining brightly against autumnally cool skies, we were out the door at 10:00. At the west end of the trail we picked up our map, received the first stamp (the gratis stamp) in our hiking booklet toward the three needed for the pin, and started walking. Uphill. And more uphill, passing a non-official sign that read, “Only 500m more to go!”  Encouraging!  We were close to our first wine stop at only 10:30 in the morning!

But alas, this Weinbau was not one of the “official” stops; rather, one of the many small wineries that set up spontaneous tents as tagalongs, and was not open until noon.  Uphill we continued to the first official Buschenschank and paused for a shared glass of sturm and two slices of dark bread with kurbiscreme (pumpkin crème) spread at one of the picnic tables set up in between the vines, with a slightly hazy, but expansive view of the city below.

Just past Cobenzl was Heaven (Himmel) and its mobile wine tavern offering sturm. God loves the Austrians. ;)

And on this routine went. The older, the younger, the parents pushing “kinderwagen” uphill, and lots of happy dogs passed one another on the trails, with everyone in great spirits.  The larger wineries had music, lounge chairs, and warm foods available in addition to the traditional heuriger foods; while the smaller wineries offered just simple but delicious, breads, spreads, and sausages at picnic tables crowded with friendly hikers.  One clever Buschenschank even offered "to go" bags of bread and packaged Liptauer, to enjoy along the trail!

Sampling grapes from the vines and pausing to take in the views from atop Vienna kept us going well past our intended 5km. Nearing the end of the trail and close to home, Mayer am Pfarrplatz had opened their vineyard tavern and was offering plates of roast pork (from the pig turning on the giant spit), kurbiscremesuppe, kartoffel goulash, plum and cherry cakes, and glasses of their sturm and wine. We settled in comfortably at a picnic table, surrounded by grapevines, sunshine, and the aroma of fermented and mulched old vines to enjoy our late lunch before hiking the last kilometer downhill toward home.

This year we did it right. We got our bling. 

Wien Weinwandertag 2012!

Grinzing to Nußdorf under lightly clouded skies. Three hours, 5 kilometers, and 8 wines.

10:54. A first (shared) glass of sturm while watching sheep gently grazing on the slope.

Midway to the second stop, a pause to sample honey from the local apiary.

 A picnic, indeed. White sturm, this time with spinach and sheep cheese pastry.

 Stop #4. Mayer am Nussdorf was prepared for those who made it to the top.  Picnic tables...

...chairs pointed toward the sun...

 ...roast pork,

 in which we indulged...

...prompting a catnap before proceeding.

A mere 75 paces to the east, "Where Heaven and Earth Meet," were the wines of Klosterneuburg. A more fermented red sturm to fortify us for the descent to Nußdorf.

Along with "burgers" and Schnitzel Semmel. Having consumed a larger platter of roast pork, we declined to overindulge.

And very fancy water bowls for the canine hikers.

 

Driving to the top is cheating.

 Stop 6 was so crowded that we just kept on walking.

Stop 7 was 100m down the lane. Love the sign.

Our final stop was the busiest, and most touristy of the day, it being the closest to the tramline.  

To Wiener Weinwandertag 2012!