Heurige

Grinzing and the Heurige
The "Heurige" is one the most special and typical Viennese institiutions. You can find these places in all austrian wine-regions - but nowhere else in the world!
It goes back to Empress Maria Theresia, who released a decree for wine producers, that they may sell their wine and snacks in their gardens to people walking by. But they were only allowed to offer their really own products and nothing else and only for some weeks in the year.
This decree is still valid today!
In former days the people from the city used to leave the city on Sundays walking, riding or going by coach through the viennese woods and having a nice picnic outside. Or they visited the wine growers for a glass of wine.
Since the decree this places became quickly very popular as it was a source of good food and wine for low prices and nice places to sit in, either in rustic cellars, or shady gardens, or directly in the wineyards.
As it was a place for "everybody" more and more it raised to a social and cultural meeting place, where it was easy to get acquainted with others, to have some nice talks and to here traditional music.

And nothing has changed until today!

The "Heurige" means the young wine of this year. To go to the "Heurigen" actually would mean: let's go to have a glass of the new and young wine. And so the name was customized also for the "taverns". Another name is "Buschenschank" what would mean "bush-tavern".
This name leads back again to the decree of Maria Thresia. To be recognized as this kind of tavern the entries had to be marked with a pine boughs hanging over the door, and a lantern with light on or off to signalize if it's open or closed.
A typical Heurige is a tavern with outdoor seating at picnic tables in an enclosed courtyard, under a grape arbor, with the stars visible through the leaves. This year's wine is served from the pitcher in glass mugs, with a pitcher of mineral water to prevent hangovers or to make a gespritzer (wine spritzer).
The most well known Heurigen you can find in the 19th district of Vienna - in Grinzing. This is usually where most of the tourists go. And it is an absolutely must to go to a Viennese Heurigen. Maybe not for the wine, but especially for the traditional music - Viennese waltz, operettes and the typical "Wienerlieder" (Viennese songs) - and it is a possibility to get closed to the people, their habits, mentality and way of living. And it is guaranteed a nice experience.

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