Destination of the Week

Austria

When you think of wein - wine - Austria probably isn't the first place to come to mind. It may be surprising to find out that, although it is a relatively small producer, Austria has four unique growing regions and nineteen areas for growing wine. In these regions, there are over 30 varieties of grapes grown.

After some hiccups in production and changes in the wine laws in the 1980's, Austria has turned its wine production to high quality/low quantity. Quality you will find - among varieties you may be familiar with and in some you've probably never heard of, like Grüner Veltliner, and its fruity and spicy taste and bouquet, and Müller-Thurgau/Rivaner, which is more flowery and less fruity.

One reason more people are turning to Austrian wines is because the varieties grown and the unique terroir generate flavors that are unduplicated elsewhere. Another reason is the small size of most wineries. Being family-owned, there's every likelihood that the grapes and the wine-making process will receive every bit of attention possible.

About half Austria's wine, especially the whites, come from the area around Vienna called Lower Austria. The Grüner Veltliner is most popular with its taste of grapefruit, peppercorns and apples. As you travel through this area, you'll find the locals drinking the latest vintage at Heurigers - wine bars where you can get large, old-fashioned meals along with local wines. Make a point to stop at least once, if you can.  If you do, though, you'll stop again and again.

Your travels, however, will probably begin in Vienna, the heart of everything Austrian. When you arrive there, you'll see vestiges of the Celts, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Huns, Avars, and Slavs, all of whom conquered and ruled at various points in history. The climatic, economic and strategic value of the Danube River magnifies Vienna's importance.

It was the Habsburgs that took over control of Austria in 1278 and with marriages that were more strategic alliances than romantic unions and some strong swords and [later] guns, ruled up to World War One, including, of course, the baroque, classical and romantic periods of music.

Vienna 's composers reads like a Who's Who of music. The most famous are Mozart and Beethoven but you can also visit museums or houses formerly inhabited by or dedicated to Haydn, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss and twentieth-century composer, Arnold Schönberg. In addition to examining the lives of great musicians, there's the Schoenbrunn Palace, the Burg Theatre, the Opera House, and the houses of Parliament.

After Vienna, Salzburg is the next city to put on your Austria list. You'll find more music - from Mozart to the setting for The Sound of Music. You'll also want to visit the Archbishop's fountain and Hellbrunn Palace.

While France is the most famous for its barge cruises, you can take a one-day trip via boat down the Danube to return to Vienna from Salzburg . Along the way, you'll see the vineyards that grow Austria 's great wines and get an understanding of how the terrain - sloping down to the Danube - contributes to the terroir we talked about earlier.

Other visits:

Try to get to Burgenland and Lake Neusiedl . It's almost a "you had to be there" to understand how the lake contributes to the noble rot in nearby vineyards. In a nutshell, the climate is warm and humid, there are long hours of sunshine along with morning fog that combine to encourage the growth of botrytis cinerea, the fungus that attacks grapes including Auslese, Beerenauslese, Ausbruch, and Trockenbeerenauslese. Bad thing? Not at all.

If there's time or if the subject especially intrigues you, visit the Eisriesenwelt, the ice caves, about 40 km southeast of Salzburg. Discovered in 1879 by Anton Posselt, the giant 50-foot mouth opens on over 24 miles of ice encrusted caves.

Krems: This thousand year-old town on the left bank contains the village of Stein.

St. Christoph: Here you'll find the way station for St. Antonin Tyrol. On the road to Arlberg Pass, it's at an elevation of almost 6000 feet.

Wels: You'll find a 14 th century church here in the town where Emperor Maximilian I died in 1519.

You'll find travel easy - with rental cars, busses and trains readily available. Once at your destination, you can also rent bikes if you'd like. Walking is a great option and certainly the preferred way of seeing Salzburg and Vienna.

For housing, you'll be able to find hotels of every rating. There are bed and breakfasts and vacation rentals, too. Since many Austrians speak English, you won't have a hard time communicating.

Want to book a trip? Start here.

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