Viennese Wine Bars: Trendy (2)
Tuchlauben 7, 1st District
Open: Monday through Saturday 11:30 am to 2 am
The coup of this wine bar’s wine list and menu is that is categorized by price. A glass of wine can be had for € 2.50, €3.50, € 5.50, or above for rare wines. The extremely creative food courses come in small appetizing portions. Lobster ravioli with truffle foam, leafy salad with white asparagus and strawberry dressing, veal sweet breads with mushroom ragout are just a few examples and at prices that invite you to have more than one course. The 3 course menu of the day today is € 9.80 and consists of a salad, prawns on artichoke and fennel, and a mocha mousse. I choose the marinated butterfish with litchi-chili salad and a glass of Grüner Veltliner Rosenberg from the Ott winery. Grüner Veltliner has a distinctive, but not overbearing aroma and flavor profile that compliments many foods. The typical pink grapefruit, peach, peppercorn, lentil, celery, dill, smoke and mineral flavors are packed in wines of different weights. Here the full-bodied version has no problems tackling spice and sweetness of an Asian-influenced dish.
Jasomirgottstraße 3-5, 1st District
Monday trough Saturday 10 am to 2 am, Sunday 11 am to 12 pm
After the success of the wine bar at the Naschmarkt, Heinz Kammerer decided to go for a repeat in the Stephansplatz branch and added a complete kitchen crew to boot. Here you see that wine is definitely not a drink for fuddy-duddies. The clientele comes in all colors, shapes, sizes, and ages and is just as diverse as the selection of what must be around 300 different wines. The food here is fresh, creative, and delicious and if you don’t mind eating while rubbing elbows with the next table, you’ll probably enjoy all the boisterous conversation as well. The sautéed octopus with red wine shallots and fresh thyme is deliciously Mediterranean and is perfectly paired with the soft, spicy red blend called Inamera from the Juris-Stiegelmar winery in the balmy Burgenland region.
Graben 19, 1st District
Open: Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 12 pm
Move over Fouchon! Meinl am Graben is THE address for “experience” grocery shopping. An expansive selection of deli meats and international cheeses, sushi, salad, pasta, and pastries can be found here. There is a restaurant upstairs and the wine bar is (where else?) in the wine cellar! They do have their own Meinl Edition wines, but the sommelier tells me the first wines of the new vintage have arrived. He suggests, “Try the Gelber Muskateller Klassik from the Sabathi winery. It’s a light-dry specialty from Styria made from the small-berried version of Muscat.” The wine has a pronounced floral fragrance and makes a sweet impression, but on the palate it is light as a feather and dry as a bone with a delicate veil of springtime flavors.
Gölsdorfgasse 2, 1. Bezirk
Open: Monday through Friday from 2 pm to 12 pm, Saturday from 5 pm
This bottle shop turned wine bar has a feel of a well-worn favorite pair of blue jeans. No-nonsense aficionados can taste before they buy and snack on Italian antipasti, pannini, or a tasty selection of cheeses. There are wines that are good and there are wines that are great. If you are willing to splurge you can purchase a bottle of the legendary Riesling called “Vinotheksfüllung” from the Knoll winery in Wachau. You’ll have no problem finding a knowledgeable local to discuss the terroir of the Wachau with you over one of Austria’s truly great classics.
