When wine enthusiasts, full of anticipation for the new vintage, visit the wine cellars of the Neusiedlersee DAC region in spring, it is, of course, primarily about fine wines. Yet, behind the traditionally open cellar doors, imperial graces are concealed!

With the support of the federal government, the province and the European Union.

It is said that in fashion, everything always comes back. Nothing is ever truly reinvented. That history also repeats itself is another common saying, readily accepted without question. It becomes quite curious when both clichés can be substantiated by a rich tradition of wine tasting, the “Open Cellar Days” – just as they are about to take place again across the entire Neusiedlersee DAC region from early April. More on that later.

Indeed, such events have experienced a real boom in recent years. Pilgrimaging together to the winemaker to taste their wines and then buying them directly from the estate has long been considered good form among wine lovers. One can safely say: it is in vogue. “The number of guests who come to taste wine grows every year,” all the Neusiedlersee DAC winemakers happily report.

The pronounced affection for one’s personal favorite winemaker is also fueled by a circumstance defined as a megatrend: the trend towards regionality. The years when we sought to taste and discover the most exclusive goods from the most exotic corners of the earth are somewhat behind us. Today, within our society, it is important to know where what we consume comes from. Moreover, those who have a personal connection to the respective producers are truly emperors. But we will get to that later anyway…

Living Tradition in the Region

The fact is that both phenomena just mentioned are by no means new. Rather, they repeat themselves and find their origins in long-past times. As early as 250 years ago, winemakers offered their wines directly from the estate, enticing visitors with tastings. And even then, people enthusiastically flocked to the winegrowers in the countryside to taste and buy wines. However, the motives for this regional marketing and its boom were then based on far more pragmatic considerations than is the case today.

To understand this, let us simply travel back in a fictional time machine to the depths of the Middle Ages, to the 13th century: Around Lake Neusiedl, vines are planted wherever possible. Favoured by the prevailing climate, vineyards first spread on the northern slopes of the Parndorf Plateau around Neusiedl, Gols, Mönchhof and Halbturn, and from the 19th century onwards also in the Pannonian Plain, until soon there is hardly a place where viticulture is not practised. It is the period in which viticulture in Burgenland reaches its first major geographical expansion, and in which people also believe they can discern the first signs of a very personal form of direct marketing.

Historians believe that the tradition of winemakers serving their self-pressed wine themselves probably dates back to the Franks and Bavarians under Charlemagne and Otto I.. “While an exact date of origin cannot be pinpointed, it can be assumed that winegrowers began active sales as soon as their own needs were met,” historians say. A kind of “Krugrecht” (jug right) at that time allowed the serving of self-produced wines, albeit poorly. Little is truly documented.

An Emperor, His People, and Wine

A grievance that eventually bothered someone in Austria: Emperor Joseph II. And for a quite surprising reason. The legend goes: The innkeepers of a small village in the County of Gorizia, a territory in the southeastern Alpine region that emerged in the Middle Ages and belonged to the Austrian Littoral in the Habsburg Monarchy, loudly complained that their lord – a certain Count Delmetri – wanted to force them to serve only wine from his noble estates. Emperor Joseph II did not quite like this – probably also due to an inherent understanding of power. If anyone was to flex their muscles, it would be him. At the same time, he also found it unfair to his people. So, the monarch reacted with the so-called Circular Ordinance of 1784: This for the first time clearly granted farmers the right to sell their own products themselves, to whomever they wished.

This ordinance thus made it legally possible for the first time for winemakers to sell their wines directly from the estate to anyone – which initially pleased businessmen and traders, but subsequently also the people throughout the country: the wine trade could thus continue to flourish. And in a certain sense, we still enjoy the culinary effects of this ordinance today, as it established both Buschenschenken and Heurige – and indeed the “Open Cellar Days.”

Open Wine Cellar Days in Spring and Autumn: Explore and Experience Wine

Incidentally, following ancient tradition, these take place twice a year: in spring and in autumn. The first date was intended to create an appetite for the young wines, the second to empty the cellars enough to make room for the next vintage. Today, all wine cellars have ample space for barrels of many vintages. And additionally, for many curious wine enthusiasts.

What is exciting, of course, is that each location has its individual characteristics when it comes to directly tasting the young wine. And especially for those who are keen on the new vintages of the particularly origin-typical Neusiedlersee DAC wines – whether Zweigelt or sweet wine, classically aged or as a Reserve – there is an embarrassment of riches during the vinophile spring awakening around Lake Neusiedl. In all villages of the Neusiedlersee DAC origin wine region, from early April onwards, an endless succession of beautiful events offers everything one can taste.

And if that’s still not enough, you can look forward to autumn, when the cellar doors are opened again around St. Martin’s Day under the name “Martiniloben”.

>>> Click here for the spring dates of all open cellar doors!

Everything You Need to Know About Neusiedlersee DAC Wine Specialties

Juicy, versatile, and deeply fruity, or rather fruity/nobly sweet? Which Neusiedlersee DAC is your favorite? Click through the different, particularly typical Neusiedlersee DAC origin wines.

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Neusiedlersee DAC.
Unique Zweigelt. Unique sweet wines.
From the sunny side of Austria. For everyone’s palate.

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