The Heuriger Culture of Vienna

Vienna has always been a symbol of high life and splendour. One of the aristocratic aspects in the Viennese life is the Heuriger wine culture. Specific as the caffes, the Heuriger taverns bring additional flavour to the tourists who embrace the Austrian lifestyle.


Heuriger is the name given to those Austrian wine-taverns, where wine-growers serve the most recent year's wine and where patrons can experience Gemutlichkeit (quality time). They need a special licence. A Heuriger has legal limitations different from those of a restaurant. Only its own wine can be served, and it is limited to serving a limited selection of food from a buffet. Many places still provide a very nice selection of small cold dishes and even several different hot plates, for example Wiener Schnitzel. Additionally, a Heuriger can only be open a certain amount of time per year. Open Heurigen indicate that guests are welcome with a couple of conifer or fir twigs, or Buschen, hung above the entrance door. Many of the Heurigen are near the best hotels Vienna.

In Vienna, many restaurants have the appearance of a Heuriger, but are in fact restaurants with a restaurant licence, where wines from outside sources and even beer and coffee is sold, which would be unthinkable at an authentic Heuriger.

Any form of pre-recorded background music is strictly taboo at Heurigen. Music is provided live by normally two singers accompanying themselves on double-necked guitar and accordion respectively. Walking from table to table and expecting tips, they will perform on request any songs from their repertoire. The themes of these songs invariably revolve around the quality of the wine, the act of wine-drinking and its consequences, Vienna's beauty, a nostalgic longing for the past, the inevitability of suffering and death at God's will, and, to a somewhat lesser degree, romantic love.

You can have all your wishes of comfort fulfilled in hotel Vienna Austria.