Whether close to nature amid vineyards or above the rooftops of Vienna with breathtaking views: Austria's Heurigen and Buschenschanken – local wine taverns specializing in homegrown, fresh wine – are colorful and lively. The new Falstaff Heurigen & Buschenschank Guide lists the best of the best.
Heurigen and Buschenschenken – Austria's homegrown wine taverns specializing in fresh, local wine – are something like the culinary harbingers of summer. When the first warm spring rays of sunshine break through the dreary grey Austrian winter, people congregate on their scenic patios and courtyards and drink to life is finally taking place outside again. Of course, good wine is served, but while one establishment may serve traditional lard on bread to go with your Spritzer, others offer homemade kimchi made from Styrian-grown Chinese cabbage. The fact that a culinary institution as time-honored as the Heurigen still has such great appeal today is thanks to the exciting mix of rustic taverns and modern pop-ups with instagrammable dishes and enthusiastic chefs.
This year's “Best Cuisine” award went to Lukas Jahn, who cooks according to his own taste at his Weinhof Locknbauer: fermenting, reinterpreting old recipes and baking Neapolitan-style pizza. Wine has also been the subject of much experimentation, as Josef and Jana Piriwe impressively demonstrate by winning the Best Wine category. On the other hand, the Chartreuse ice cream shot from Gut Oggau, the best Heurigen in Burgenland, caused a real internet hype. Two guarantors of traditional Heurigen culture can be found in Vienna: Lissi and Fritz Wieninger, who earned Landlord of the Year, and Hans Schmid and his legendary Mayer am Pfarrplatz, the recipient of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. Thirsty for more? The Heurigen & Buschenschank Guide lists the very best establishments in four of Austria's federal states, including pop-ups, new openings and more.
Throughout the year, the Falstaff online community voted for the best Heurigen and Buschenschanken in Austria. These ratings by real guests were used to compile a overall score for each establishment, which is published once a year in this guide.
Each establishment was judged in four individual categories:
The highest possible score is 100 points.
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