Sep 26 2018

Austria Day 5: Durnstein and the stunning Domane Wachau

Today we got up for what is, sadly, our only full day in the Wachau valley. It was a relatively leisurely morning around the flat, but then we were off to the neighbouring town of Dürnstein for a tour of the town’s church (Stift Dürnstein). We parked the car in a public car park next to town and walked to the church. As we were going through town, we came across a team of people filming for an advertisement for a new bag. It happened to be a sling camera bag, and it was definitely a neat idea for those photographers who don’t want to carry a lot of lenses (AKA, not the obsessive-compulsive “must have everything with me” type like me). Anyway, we arrived in the courtyard of the church and were greeted by our tour guide. He took us through the whole church, explaining the immense amount of symbolism and the many theological references along the way. Some of the amazing themes were the numbers 3, 4, and 7 throughout (such as representations of the four seasons, the four elements, and the seven signs of revelation). As the church was renovated based on monies that a priest earned from selling wine and cereals, those themes were also manifested throughout.

Stift Dürnstein's inner courtyard
Stift Dürnstein’s inner courtyard

One other interesting element of the church was the innovative architectural components of the main altar. Our guide explained to us that the main piece in the centre of the altar was not only three-dimensional, but that it actually could be rotated within its setting. I found that to be a truly remarkable accomplishment given the age of the church and materials used in the altar.

Stift Dürnstein - Our guide at the altar with a 3D sphere
Stift Dürnstein – Our guide at the altar with a 3D sphere

The terrace of the church was extremely beautiful and overlooked the Danube. We spent some time out there just soaking up some of the warm sunlight, but then headed upstairs to the organ room. It was much smaller than most church organs, but very lovely to see up close partly due to the age of it. The cabinet of the organ was quite rustic and that rusticity further contributed to its sense of time and place (and thus, its beauty). Before we finished our tour, our guide mentioned that he had to go take care of his final harvest today. We chatted about his vineyards and winemaking, and he even invited us to come with him to pick! Unfortunately we didn’t have time in our schedule, but it would have been an absolutely outstanding experience, I’m sure! The gesture alone was enough.

Stift Dürnstein's balcony overlooking the Danube
Stift Dürnstein’s balcony overlooking the Danube

After our tour, we just looked around the town, and stopped in for a coffee and tea at Bäckerei Schmidl. There were some fantastic looking breads and pastries there, so I asked how late they were open. Since they were open until 18:00, I thought that we might go back after our next activity to pick up some snacks for the evening. Further down the main road, we found one of those typical souvenir shops, but this one had something funny that I wanted to purchase. It was a sign that had a silhouette of a kangaroo on it, and it said “No kangaroos in Austria”. I thought it was too funny and clever to leave there without it. 🙂

Dürnstein - Bäckerei Schmidl café
Dürnstein – Bäckerei Schmidl café

We then made our way to Domäne Wachau for our tour, and our guide introduced herself as Lena. She is primarily in charge of exports but her expertise in so many facets of the vineyards and winery made her an impeccable tour guide! She showed us some of the newer experiments of the winery (such as the orange wines, and using granite and marble for fermentation / holding tanks). Her focus on the history of the estate was greatly appreciated given the many centuries of production there.

Domäne Wachau - Barrel from 791
Domäne Wachau – Barrel from 791!

She even took notice to the wines that I talked about the most, and brought those in as additional samples for our tasting. As she was originally from Germany, we talked about how great German Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) can be. I knew that I loved Domäne Wachau’s white wine offerings (especially the single-vineyard Kellerberg Riesling), but I found out that their Pinot Noir was absolutely magnificent! It was ethereal and elegant like some of the village-level wines from Chambolle-Musigny yet still had its own distinct (slightly underripe and tangy) character that gave it a true sense of place. We bought several bottles for the remainder of our trip (including some back-vintage 1995 Kellerberg Rieslings as special bottles), and I even purchased two bottles of Pinot Noir to take home with me (since it isn’t available in the United States). Hey, Lena is responsible for exports though, so maybe I can convince her to start distributing it to the US. 🙂 What an absolutely amazing winery experience; possibly one of the best I’ve had in years!

Domäne Wachau - Zach & Lena enjoying the phenomenal Pinot Noir
Domäne Wachau – Zach & Lena enjoying the phenomenal Pinot Noir

At the very end of our tour, Lena told us that the Wachau valley and surrounding areas are known for four things: 1) Wine; 2) Apricots; 3) Granite; 4) Marble. So, it makes sense that they are experimenting with granite and marble as vessels for fermentation and ageing. After our tour, we just walked the area’s vineyards and through neighbouring town of Dürnstein taking photos. Deb was kind enough and patient enough to let me just take my time getting some nice shots.

Domäne Wachau - Beautiful eastern vineyards
Domäne Wachau – Beautiful eastern vineyards

Before leaving town, we stopped back into the bakery for some snacks. We ended up with three rolls and these beautifully simple sugar cookies. We then left for dinner at Zum Kaiser von Österrich. The restaurant was very small (only about 6 or so tables), but came very highly rated. Boy was it ever worthy of those high praises! The owners are a husband and wife team, with him in the kitchen and her serving as the hostess and waitress.

The Wachau - Kaiser von Österreich restaurant - Bread starter
The Wachau – Kaiser von Österreich restaurant – Bread starter

Our meal started with a tray of complimentary breads, meats, and some extremely fresh garden vegetables. One of the breads had olives baked into it, and they provided both some saltiness but also some wonderful fruity aromas and tastes as well. We then received a small plate of beetroot, horseradish, and a grilled fish bite as compliments of the chef. Two dishes that we didn’t anticipate and they were an excellent start to the meal. Then came our appetiser of sautéed Porcini mushrooms and roasted potatoes. As with the other dishes that we had, they were perfectly prepared. Nothing, however, could brace me for the absolutely astonishing mains that we had. We each ordered the roasted chicken, which came on a bed of noodles, Porcini mushrooms and broccoli (all local and fresh)! Though we had nice desserts (a cheese tart with walnut ice cream and elderberry sauce as well as a pear omelette with rum foam), I can barely remember them because I was still blown away by the mains. I can’t commend the food highly enough because it may well be one of the best meals that I’ve ever had!

The Wachau - Kaiser von Österreich restaurant - chicken with noodles, mushrooms, and broccoli
The Wachau – Kaiser von Österreich restaurant – chicken with noodles, mushrooms, and broccoli

After such a satisfying meal, would it even be possible to have wines that could compare? Well, back in our room we indulged in two wines from Schloss Gobelsburg: the current vintages of their Merlot and Renner Grüner Veltliner. Both were very nice… but yes, I’m still thinking about that amazing dining experience! 🙂

Sep 25 2018

Austria Day 4: The Wachau and the beauty of Schloss Gobelsburg

Though it seems like we just arrived in Vienna, it’s already time for us to move on to our next destination. After checking out of our flat, though, we made our way south to see one last Viennese landmark before departing the city—the Central Cemetery. Why oh why would we want to walk around a cemetery when on holiday? Well besides the tranquil nature of these eternal resting grounds, Vienna’s Central Cemetery has the graves of many Classical-area composers, including Beethoven and one of my personal favourites: Johann Strauss.

Vienna - Central Cemetery - Beethoven's grave
Vienna – Central Cemetery – Beethoven’s grave		 Vienna - Central Cemetery - Johann Strauss's grave
Vienna – Central Cemetery – Johann Strauss’s grave

After looking at the famous graves and strolling around the beautiful grounds, we left Vienna for our next stop in The Wachau. We arrived at Winzerhof Petz (which is located in between the towns of Krems and Dürnstein), checked in, quickly dropped off our luggage, and immediately left for our winery tour at Schloss Gobelsburg.

Kamptal DAC - Schloss Gobelsburg - Entrance
Kamptal DAC – Schloss Gobelsburg – Entrance

To call it a tour is a bit disingenuous; it was a wine experience! Upon our arrival, we were greeted by an older gentleman wearing a very nice sport coat. He introduced himself as Peter and asked for our names. He then took us through the standard rooms (sorting / pressing, fermentation, ageing cellars, et cetera). What made it an experience, though, was Peter’s outstanding teachings! He taught us about the soil types in the area (even bringing out examples of the stones) , events throughout history that shaped the wine culture of the land, and so many relevant stories from throughout his life.

Kamptal DAC - Schloss Gobelsburg - Our amazing guide, Peter
Kamptal DAC – Schloss Gobelsburg – Our amazing guide, Peter

During our tasting (which was essentially every wine they make), we heard about factors influencing the subtle distinctions in terroir of each wine, and more about the history of the truly remarkable estate. For instance, one fact that I didn’t know is that there is a difference in the barrels used in Bordeaux (called barriques and having a capacity of 225L) and those used in Burgundy (called pièces and having a capacity of 228L). Though the capacities differ slightly, the subtly different shape is the fascinating part! The peace has a “hump” in the middle stave section between the hoops. That’s just one example of the many things that Peter taught me during our extremely short 3 hours together. It was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget! At the very end of this wonderfully educational winery visit, I realised that Peter is the father of Eva Moosbrugger (the proprietor of the estate with her husband, Michael).

Kamptal DAC - Schloss Gobelsburg - Peter & Deb at our wine tasting
Kamptal DAC – Schloss Gobelsburg – Peter & Deb at our wine tasting

After Schloss Gobelsburg, we drove to a small town closer to Dürnstein called Unterloiben for our dinner reservations at Wachauerstube Loiben. It was set up in a traditional-style house, and felt very much like being in someone’s home for a meal. We started with an off-the-menu special of grilled mushrooms with a nice salad of greens. For our mains, I had remembered seeing photos of some of the various dishes offered there, and thought that the Paprika Huhn (AKA “Chicken Paprikash”) looked amazing. Deb and I both ordered it, and boy was it ever good! The thing that was the best about all the food was that it tasted so fresh and clean—a testament to the “farm to table” style of dining. We finished with a dessert of an apple tart which came with this beautiful mint pesto, cream, and freshly made vanilla ice cream. Overall a great meal!

The Wachau - Wachauerstube Loiben's Paprika Huhn
The Wachau – Wachauerstube Loiben’s Paprika Huhn

After dinner, we came back to the room and indulged in the lovely wines that we had purchased the previous day from Weingut Heinrich. I enjoyed my Pinot Noir, and Deb’s Welschriesling was quite nice as well (once you got past the heavily reductive nose). 🙂

Sep 24 2018

Austria Day 3: THE Sacher Torte, Weingut Heinrich, and the tall tower

We woke up this morning, and the weather looked to be pretty nice. It was sunny in the beginning of the day, but then the clouds came rolling in. It was also extremely windy, which made it feel significantly colder than it actually was. We started our day by heading for Café Sacher. It was a completely different experience than yesterday at Café Demel. For starters, we were promptly seated for our reservations, and our waitress came to explain the menu offerings and take our orders. I started with a Turkish coffee and the crepes with apricots. Deb went for the Original Sacher Torte and a beautiful Assam tea. Everything was wonderful, but I was looking for something a little less “breakfasty” and a little more “indulgent”. So, instead of finishing my crepes, I ordered this spiced ring cake that was dipped in white chocolate. Of course, you can’t have something sweet without coffee, right? So, I ordered two more double espressos (yes, yes, I know that seems like an excessive amount of caffeine and it probably is), and Deb got an additional tea. Overall, it was a great start to the morning.

Vienna - Café Sacher - Original Sacher Torte
Vienna – Café Sacher – Original Sacher Torte

Vienna - Café Sacher - Turkish coffee
Vienna – Café Sacher – Turkish coffee

Vienna - Café Sacher - Crêpes with apricots
Vienna – Café Sacher – Crêpes with apricots

After the café, we took the train back to the flat to pick up the car. We drove about an hour southeast of Vienna to Burgenland for a visit to Weingut Heinrich. When we arrived, we were greeted by a lovely young lady named Katti—an intern at the winery who gave us our tour. We were able to see the sorting / pressing room, the fermentation tanks, and many of the ageing cellars. Katti really made the experience engaging for us by letting us peak inside some of the barrels in which the wines were fermenting.

Burgenland - Weingut Heinrich - Barrel with grape must cap
Burgenland – Weingut Heinrich – Barrel with grape must cap

Burgenland - Weingut Heinrich - Barrel tasting with Heinrich himself!
Burgenland – Weingut Heinrich – Barrel tasting with Heinrich himself!

At the end of the tour, we were able to sample many of Heinrich’s lovely wines. The standouts for us were the Pinot Noir, which was beautifully lean and had a great sense of place that set it apart from, say, a German Spätburgunder, and the Freyheit Welschriesling, which was bottled without fining or filtration (leaving it cloudy in the glass). We purchased a bottle of each of them to take with us. Before leaving, we found out that Katti’s family name is Moser, and that her parents are the proprietors of Weingut Sepp Moser in the Wachau (where we’ll be heading tomorrow). Definitely a neat connection, and maybe we can even spend some time at her family’s winery if time allows!

Burgenland - Weingut Heinrich - Tasting table
Burgenland – Weingut Heinrich – Tasting table

Since the weather was less than ideal, we decided to forego the nature reserves around Lake Neusiedl and just head back toward Vienna early. I thought that instead of having a really late night, we could go to the Danube Tower before dinner instead of waiting until afterwards. So, we took the trains to the Kaisermühlen VIC Station, and walked about 1.2 km to the Danube Tower. It was extremely windy, so being outside on the observation deck proved to be unpleasant and rather difficult. We did spend some time just inside the tower just taking in the beauty of Vienna from above, though.

Vienna - View from the Danube Tower
Vienna – View from the Danube Tower

After the Danube Tower, we left for our dinner reservations at KitchA. Yes, we indeed had Asian whilst in Vienna, and it was darn good! We opted for entirely vegetarian options including the Agedashi Tofu, wok vegetables and rice, and even some veggie sushi (no fish, obviously). Everything that we had was really tasty, but I think that my favourite dish was the wok-fried veggies.

After dinner, we made our way back to the flat for some wine before bed. I went with 2013 Prieler Blaufränkisch (Ried Marienthal [meaning from the single vineyard called “Marienthal”]), and Deb had her Wein Gemischter Satz. These were our more expensive bottles that we purchased at Vinothek St. Stephan, and they were disappointing. So disappointing in fact, that I went down to the corner bar and bought a couple bottles for us to enjoy instead. They were Welschrieslings from Weingut Überacker. Great? No, but far better than our other options.