Heuriger

Heuriger (German pronunciation: [ˈhɔʏʁɪɡɐ]; Austrian dialect pronunciation: Heiriga) is the name given to a tavern in Eastern Austria, where a local winemaker serves his new wine under a special licence in alternate months during the growing season. The Heurige are renowned for their atmosphere of Gemütlichkeit shared among a throng enjoying young wine, simple food, and - in some places - Schrammelmusik. They correspond to the Straußwirtschaften in the German Rheinland. Both have a bush of pine twigs hanging at the entrance when they are open.

Heuriger is the abbreviation of "heuriger Wein" (this year's wine) in Austrian and Bavarian German. Originally, it was a simple open-air tavern on the premises of winemakers, where people would bring along food and drink the new wine. Nowadays, the taverns are often situated at a distance of the wineyards and offer both food and drinks. Heurige where apple or pear cider is served are called a Mostheurige. In the well-known wine-growing areas of the city of Vienna (Grinzing, Sievering, Neustift, Liesing) many eating establishments have a rustic interior design similar to Heurige, yet they have a normal licence and sell wine they buy from outside sources.

On 17 August 1784 Austrian Emperor Joseph II issued a decree that permitted all residents to open establishments to sell and serve self-produced wine and juices. At first no food could be sold in order to prevent competition with restaurants, but over time these restrictions lessened.

Over the years well-known areas for Heurigen developed, including Grinzing, Sievering, Neustift am Walde, Perchtoldsdorf, Mauer, Stammersdorf, Guntramsdorf, Gumpoldskirchen, Traiskirchen, Gainfarn, Dürnstein, Langenlois, the Wachau region, Rust, Königstetten, Gamlitz, and Kitzeck.

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