Vienna Woods Wine Tour - Wines, Vines & Good Times!

Lower Austria is the cradle of Austrian viticulture, so we want to take you to the beautiful forests & vineyards of the Thermal Region, just south of Vienna. Home to traditionally quaint wine villages and some unique local varietals, we showcase the finest in farm-to-table Austrian wine tours. In summer, we'll hike through these foothills to the alps along forested trails, as well as through lush green vineyards on their southern facing slopes. We'll stop en route for an open-air wine tasting and to appreciate some beautifully expansive views over the forest canopy & the Vienna basin over to Hungary & Slovakia, before reaching one of Austria's oldest wine villages for lunch and a winery visit. In the winter time, instead of the hike, we visit two wineries to focus our attention more on the history of Thermal Region wine making, and on meeting local vintners to learn about modern day wine production - all with glasses of the best the region has to offer in our hands, of course!

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: BahnhofCity Wien Hauptbahnhof, Vienna Austria

The tour meeting point is Vienna's main railway station (09:10 between Apr-Oct & 09:40 from Nov-Mar). Once we've met and introduced ourselves, we'll board a train southwards (approx 30 minutes) to the heart of the Vienna Woods.

Stop At: Vienna Woods, Vienna Austria

Summer
We then begin our hike in the lovely spa town of Baden, once a favourite country retreat of Beethoven. We meander through the classic 'Biedermeier' village centre and its gorgeous parks before hiking along forest trails towards a magnificent elevated viewpoint which overlooks the Vienna basin & the Wienerwald in all directions. This spot alone is a photographer's dream! We then enter the vineyard landscape, wandering through row upon row of lush green vines. As reward for our efforts, we'll take a break sat among the vines, for an open-air wine tasting at a local producer.

Winter
Our train brings us directly to the vineyards of the Thermal Region and to our first wine tasting. This takes place at one of Austria’s oldest wine making institutions, steeped in middle-age tradition and history. We’ll learn about how the monastic orders became wine pioneers of their time, all while sampling unique local varieties from the Thermal Region. This also includes a fascinating guided visit to their wine cellar, showcasing the centuries old traditions of Austrian wine making.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Gumpoldskirchen, Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria

Summer & Winter
We then continue to the picturesque wine village of Gumpoldskirchen to have lunch at one of its traditional Austrian wine taverns. Our second wine tasting takes place at one of the village's finest producers and is led by a local winemaker. This tasting allows for plenty of opportunities to ask questions regarding how wine is produced to give an intimate insight into the challenges facing vintners today.

The tour ends with a short train ride back to the city centre. You'll arrive to your hotel in plenty of time to freshen up before dinner, the opera, the theatre, or the concert! Whichever it is, you'll sleep well that night!

Duration: 5 hours