Two weeks ahead of the official start of the Lower Austrian State Exhibition “Bread & Wine”, my friend Anna and I can feel the air in the wine capital city Poysdorf buzzing with excitement. All the last touches and finishes are taking place down to the very smiles in the faces of the people we meet! From the workers in the streets to the “sparkling wine captain” Maximilian Riegelhofer, whose grapes make up the famous Schlumberger sparkling wine and who spontaneously takes us to the “world’s largest sparkling wine flute” – Everybody welcomes us here during our visit to the Weinviertel wine growing district.
Visiting the wine city Poysdorf is part of our magic stay at the Castle Hotel Mailberg, only 40 minutes’ drive from where we are staying in Mailberg. “Tried & tested” is what we can now tell you about the “high north” of Lower Austria close to the Czech border, ahead of the Lower Austrian State Exhibition’s famous opening ceremony: It is well worth to come out here!
“You were damn right in coming to see us”, says Thomas, our entertaining wine tourism guide for the day in Poysdorf. Here, he shows us where normally wine growers hide away their “best wine” – in the deep pockets of their traditional jacket!
Right upon entering Poysdorf, we are tempted to stop at the “Weinmarkt” which serves as the city’s local wine shop and information centre with charming ladies prepared to organize our stay.
… “Visiting the Weinviertel may switch on all your senses”. Yes indeed: Everywhere we look, art covers the walls of the traditional cellar lanes in Poysdorf.
In front of the largest sparkling wine cellar in town, the Riegelhofer family has placed this giant sparkling wine bottle which doubles as an open air bar. Cool!
The largest sparkling wine flute in the whole world: Has it made it into the Guiness Book of Records, we wonder?
Poysdorf, a local wine town in Lower Austria of about 6.000 proudly boasts the fact of being on the same latitude as its famous sister town La Champagne in France.
Art, Cellar Lanes & Coffeehouses …
… the atmosphere on this special day of spring in the Weinviertel district is almost “too good to be true”. Everywhere we look, nature (and people) are embracing the light: Blossoms, flowers, happiness & pleasure catch our very eye. It is during these moments of soaking up the sun with my first outdoor caffee latte of the season, that I am reminded of how much I love the spring. And it would not be the same without the preceding cold of winter, knowing to appreciate the reassuring heat of the sun. Beautiful!
Poysdorf and all its artistic wine bottles in the streets and cellar lanes, its “wildly romantic cellar lanes” and modern cafés with their sun decks draw us in in no time. It is only one and a half hours southwest of here that I grew up, in the Lower Austrian Kamptal wine district, and yet I had to become a TRAVEL BLOGGER in order to come here and appreciate it all. Knowledge, and consciousness, takes time to mature – like the wine resting in the wine barrels & bottles!
“Coming home”: Austrian creativity meets wine bottles called “Sauschwanz” (pig tail) & “Saurüssel” (pig nose) in the Weinviertel!
The wonderful cellar lane “Radyweg” in Poysdorf.
Early spring has driven out the flowers, blossoms and happiness: Soon, this magnificent Magnolia tree will be in full bloom!
These vintage tractors are still to be seen in the vineyards and lanes around Poysdorf: You can rent one or simply enjoy having your picture taken when passing by.
What may be the significance of this heartfelt symbol? A minute later, our wine tourism guide Thomas opens up a world full of wine cellar treasures hidden deep underneath !
“Prost!”: At the end of our tour and visit to Poysdorf, we enjoy the typical Weinviertel Grüner Veltliner DAC white wine variety. A real classic here in Austria! 😀