The wine tour to Austria, with grüner veltliner and zweigelt from the villages along the Danube and Neusiedler See
— Austria is a small but very exciting wine country with consistently high quality wines. It is still a rather unknown wine country for many. Why not get to know these interesting wines a little closer on site? The grapes also grow in breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. We visit the two largest regions, Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and Burgenland. We get to know, for example, the country’s pre-eminent grape grüner veltliner and the characterful red grape zweigelt.
Tour Highlights
- 4 nights
- Private tastings, ca 10
- One night in Vienna
- Stay in Wachau and Neusiedl am See
- Expert wine guide
- Price: [sample programme]
- Stunning wine landscape along the Danube
- Personal meetings with growers
- Red, white and noble sweet
- Exciting, local cuisine
Please Note: This Is A Sample Programme
This is a sample programme, an example. Every wine and food tour that we organise is different and specially adapted for the season and the circumstances. Details in the programme, e.g. which producers we visit, will be different each time.
- This tour is sometimes available on our scheduled wine and food tour programme
- It can be designed specifically for you as a custom made private wine tour.
Next Wine Tour to Austria
- Contact us
Austria is a small wine country that has a very good reputation around the world. The major grape is the white grüner veltliner, but the red wines are becoming more and more prominent. Zweigelt, sankt laurent and blaufränkisch are important red grapes. Wine is mainly grown in the eastern part of the country, relatively close to Vienna, the capital. We will visit the two largest wine regions, Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) and Burgenland.
The vineyards of Lower Austria follow the spectacularly beautiful Danube Valley west from Vienna. Here, we will visit some of the well-known districts, such as Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal. Grüner veltliner and riesling grow on steep slopes down towards the river.
We then go on to Neusiedler See in Burgenland, on the border to Hungary. Here, red wines are made from, for example, zweigelt, as well as noble sweet white wines and also some dry white wines. Neusiedler See is a so-called steppe lake, the westernmost in Europe. A small part of the lake is actually in Hungary. The climate at Neusiedler See is well suited both for red wines and sweet wines of various kinds.
We meet in Vienna, where we spend the first night. The second night we stay in Wachau and the last two nights in the small town of Neusiedl-am-See. On Sunday morning our bus will take us back to Vienna.
The tour is led by one of BKWine’s expert guides.
Programme — Austria wine tour
Preliminary programme.
Contact BKWine for more details.
Sample programme
This is a sample programme, an example. You can find the wine tours currently on the schedule here, or you can explore a custom designed wine tour by contacting us.
There may be changes to some details of the programme, e.g. which wineries we visit. We put great effort into making your visits both exceptional and memorable. For this reason we often visit other than the most obvious, big-name producers (where there are often a number of guides employed). Instead we chose to give you a more unique, personal experience at our carefully selected estates, often (but not always) meeting the owner or the winemaker.
Programme overview
- Day 1, Wednesday — Arrival in Vienna
- Day 2, Thursday — Wagram, Kremstal
- Day 3, Friday — Wachau, Kamptal
- Day 4, Saturday — Neusiedler See
- Day 5, Sunday — Departure for home
Wednesday, Day 1 — Arrival in Vienna
Arrival in Vienna. Check-in at our centrally located four-star hotel, formerly Emperor Franz Joseph’s palace and now beautifully modernized.
The hotel is within walking distance of many of Vienna’s attractions, shopping streets and restaurants. Vienna is also one of the few capital cities that have vineyards within its borders. There are over 600 hectares of vineyards within the city boundaries. The vineyards on the hills around the capital attract many tourists, especially at harvest time when they can taste the heurigen, the barely-fermented wine.
The city centre also has many wine bars where you can explore the Austrian wine treasures. And restaurants abound. The people of Vienna traditionally go to restaurants a lot; it is a natural meeting point for them. And you should definitely try a Wiener schnitzel. You will never find one as delicious as in Vienna.
Free evening to discover Vienna the fantastic.
Thursday, Day 2 — Wagram, Kremstal and Wachau
After breakfast and check-out, our bus picks us up at the hotel in Vienna. We will set out among the vineyards of the Lower Austria region. We follow the beautiful Danube valley to the west.
The scenery here is magnificent. The vines grow on terraced vineyards that dive steeply down to the river. The wines are mainly from the excellent grüner veltliner and riesling grapes.
We stop in Wagram at Weingut Leth. Franz Leth has 80 hectares and 60% is grüner veltliner. But he also makes very good pinot noir. And perhaps even more exciting, he grows the unusual but excellent roter veltliner (not related to grüner!) which thrives well in the loess soil in Wagram.
We continue towards Kremstal and to Weingut Sepp Moser, a biodynamic producer, certified Demeter since 2009. Nikolaus Moser makes a collection of very interesting single vineyard wines. We also enjoy and excellent lunch here.
The afternoon visit will be in Wachau, the most famous district in Lower Austria. Thanks to its beautiful and unique landscape, the Wachau has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2000.
In late afternoon, we check in at the four-star family hotel Gartenhotel Pfeffel in the charming little town of Dürnstein. We will stay here for one night. You will have some free time and a little later we will meet for an aperitif and dinner in the hotel restaurant. We continue to discuss and taste the local wines. The hotel also has its own vineyard.
Friday, Day 3 — Wachau and Kamptal
We eat a hearty Austrian breakfast and then we check out of the hotel. Today we will continue to explore the Wachau region and we will also go to Kamptal.
We visit some well-known producers, such as Weingut Jurtschitsch, a family farm with many innovative ideas. We will learn more about the management of the vineyards on the steep slopes and how to grow organically and sustainably.
We have lunch at the spectacularly modern Loisium in Langenlois, a complex with wine-spa, hotel, restaurant and a wine museum.
After our afternoon visit, that follows the lunch, we drive on to Burgenland and Neusiedler See, which is right next to the Hungarian border. The trip takes about 2 ½ hours.
We check in at our four-star hotel in Neusiedl am See, a small town at the northern tip of the lake.
You will have some free time for a walk in town. Neusiedler See is the westernmost of Europe’s steppe lakes and also the largest lake in Austria. At its deepest, it is barely two meters and the water gets really warm in summer. The vineyards are located on the eastern shore of the long, narrow lake and also stretch a bit northeast of the lake.
The lake and the surrounding area have long been a nature reserve and a popular haunt for bird watchers. The climate around the lake is mild and you have the most sunny days in all of Austria. But cool nights ensure that the wines get good acidity.
We have dinner together in the hotel restaurant. We do a first tasting of the wines from Burgenland.
Saturday, Day 4 — Neusiedler See
We will visit producers of red, white and sweet wines. Zweigelt is the grape playing the star role here but there is much else to discover.
Burgenland is Austria’s easternmost wine region. Red grapes are grown throughout Burgenland. Zweigelt dominates here in Neusiedler See, but we also find blaufränkisch, sankt laurent, pinot noir, merlot and several other grapes. However, the designation of origin Neusiedlersee DAC may only be used for pure 100% zweigelt wines.
We visit some producers who give us a good picture of the red wines in today’s Austria. We go, for example, down to Halbturn and visit Artisan Wines where Franz Schneider makes red, white and noble sweet wines.
We will enjoy a lunch with local specialities.
Late in the afternoon we return to the hotel and you will have some free time before we meet for a farewell dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.
Sunday, Day 5 — Heading back home
The tour ends after breakfast. Departure.
Book your flight no earlier than 12.30.
There may be changes to some details of the programme, e.g. which wineries we visit. We put great effort into making your visits both exceptional and memorable. For this reason we often visit other than the most obvious, big-name producers (where there are often a number of guides employed). Instead we chose to give you a more unique, personal experience at our carefully selected estates, often (but not always) meeting the owner or the winemaker.
Go For It!
We’d love to have you with us.
More travel information
We have written about Austria and about wine touring in the region, what to do and what to expect.
- Read more about travelling in the Austrian wine region on our travel blog.
- You can also find more information on the wines from Austria in BKWine Magazine, our online wine magazine.
- Our YouTube videos on Austria
Here are a few videos from winery visits in Bordeaux:
Wine books
We have written more than ten wine books. They have won both national and international wine writing awards.
No other wine tour organiser has a comparable knowledge, competence and experience.
Tour Details — Austria Wine Tour
Dates: [this is a sample programme]
Price per person: [this is a sample programme]
Single room supplement: [this is a sample programme]
Sample programme
This is a sample programme, an example. You can find the wine tours currently on the schedule here, or you can explore a custom designed wine tour by contacting us.
Included in the price:
- 4 nights hotel accommodation, double occupancy, including breakfast in good quality 4-star hotels
- Meals as described in the programme above (*):
- 3 gastronomic multi-course lunches with local specialities including, at a wine producer’s or in a local restaurant
- Start and end point: Vienna (Wien)
- Bus transport during the whole trip
- All vineyard and winery visits
- Private, top quality tastings at wineries, approx. 3 per day
- Translation from German as needed (most visits will be in English)
- Wine guiding and wine tutoring by an expert BKWine guide
(*) See below for more important information on our meals.
Not included:
- Travel (flights etc) to the destination and back to your home location.
You are responsible for organising your travel to and from Vienna.
If you would like assistance organising your flight tickets etc, please contact us.
We warmly recommend that you plan a few extra days here if you have the time. It is a very interesting place and well worth some regular, non-wine related tourism too. We can assist you with booking additional hotel nights as needed.
For this tour to take place we must have a minimum of 4 participants registered by the “book before” date. Maximum number of tour participants: 8.
Book This Tour
Book before: [this is a sample programme]
Booking is confirmed by paying the booking fee of [sample programme, this varies by trip]. Full payment should be received at the latest [sample programme, usually one month or 60 days, depending on the trip] before the departure date (see our terms and conditions). Details on how to pay will be sent to you when you register.
It is important that you read our travel booking terms and conditions.
We also invite you to read more on why you should travel with BKWine, about customer protection, and about what you can expect from our wine tours in the section below “More on our wine tours”.
You book by contacting Britt Karlsson, BKWine:
- phone: +33 1 58 88 04 66 or +33 6 80 45 35 70 (+33 is the country code for France)
- Skype: “bkwine”. Call us on skype.
- email: info@bkwine.com, or use the contact form below
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More on our wine tours
Why travel with BKWine?
We are Britt and Per Karlsson. We are specialists in wine and food tours and wine tourism, but also experts in wine in general. We are internationally published wine writers and have written ten award-winning wine books.
No other tour operator has a comparable knowledge and experience of wine, wine regions, wine tourism and gourmet travel.
We have organised hundreds of wine and food tours, and this is what we love to do. We take it very seriously – it is not a sideline or a hobby – and what we want more than anything is to share all these wonderful experiences with you.
All our tours are led and managed by guides who have in-depth wine knowledge, and in many cases we lead the tours ourselves.
Read more on why you should choose BKWine for your wine and food tour.
Thousands of happy customers
Over the years, thousands of wine lovers have travelled with us. Many come back to tour again and again with BKWine to new wine regions. Our record-breaking client has been on more than ten BKWine tours. We are happy and proud to have such faithful customers.
Read more on what travellers have said about our tours.
Awards and Mentions
We’re pleased and proud to have received many accolades, including:
- “World’s Top Wine Tours”, Travel+Leisure Magazine, the world’s biggest travel magazine
- “Best wine tasting holidays”, AOL Travel’s list of top wine tours
- “Recommended Wine Tours”, Munskänkarna, the world’s biggest wine appreciation association
- “World’s Best Wine Book for Professionals” as well as “Best Wine Book of the Year”, Gourmand International awards, and many other book prizes
- Three OIV book awards, International Organisation of Vine and Wine
- “Wine Personality of the Year”, an honour bestowed on Britt Karlsson by Munskänkarna in 2011, the world’s biggest wine appreciation association
- Inclusion on the Wine Media Power List, by Wine Business International magazine
About the wine producers and wineries we visit
Our aim is for you to experience some of the very best and most interesting aspects of the wine world, in terms of wine and food.
We put great effort into creating outstanding winery visits, and in this way we are quite different to many wine tour organisers. It is not always the most renowned, internationally known estates that offer the best experiences. Organising a wine tour featuring famous names of the wine world is relatively easy: it is merely a question of making lists and ticking boxes. On those kind of “bucket list” wine tours, you rarely meet the winemaker or the owner. You will simply be one of thousands of visitors they receive each year.
We do things differently. With BKWine Tours, you will meet the people behind the label, often the winemakers and/or the owners. Thanks to them, you will have a unique, truly personal experience and an insight into the wine world that no one else can offer. When you travel with BKWine, you are more like a special guest than a tourist.
We have personal connections and unparalleled knowledge thanks to more than 20 years as wine journalists, with 10 wine books published, and as wine tour organisers with more than 30 years’ experience. You can be sure of getting the best wine travel experiences with BKWine Tours.
Read more on the wine producers and wineries we visit.
A true gourmet experience: food and gastronomy
For us, wine and food are intimately linked, and this is a fundamental part of our wine travel philosophy. For this reason, a wine tour with BKWine is always an outstanding culinary experience both for the wine enthusiast and for the gourmet. A BKWine tour is a gastronomic voyage that explores the deep relationship between food and wine.
Read more On Meals: Food and Gastronomy on Our Tours.
Customer Protection, Financial Travel Guarantee, and Terms and Conditions
You can always feel safe when you book your tour with BKWine. BKWine has a bonded bank guarantee that gives full protection according to EU and Swedish law. BKWine is a Swedish limited company and as such is regulated by strict rules.
Read more on Customer Protection, Financial Travel Guarantee. and our Terms and Conditions.
When you book a tour it is important that you read the terms and conditions. BKWine’s booking terms and conditions follow the guidelines developed by the Consumer Protection Agency.
Health, vaccination and allergies
Our tours have no particular health requirements although inevitably we will be walking a certain amount in wine cellars and vineyards. Sensible footwear is a must.
Most of our travel destinations have no particular health guidelines or requirements for vaccinations or medical certificates, but if in doubt, you should always consult a medical professional, vaccination centre or relevant embassy in your country of origin.
We can always accommodate food allergies. However, in order for us to manage such requests you must let us know about any allergies before the tour starts.
Read more in our FAQ and in our Terms and Conditions.
Travel insurance
BKWine does not sell travel insurance. If you want travel insurance, check if your regular home insurance policy includes some kind of travel insurance, or contact your regular insurance company or a travel insurance specialist.
Custom Tours
We also offer custom wine and food tours if you want to travel on different dates, or if you want something different to what we currently offer on our scheduled tours. This tailor-made service can be offered for individuals, companies, professionals, wine tastings clubs etc.
Important information
Our groups are always small. The number of people in the group may vary. The maximum can range from 8 to around 20; check the details in each programme. But our groups are always modest in size. This is important because it guarantees a quality experience and a personal welcome at the wineries we visit.
Read the BKWine Booking Terms and Conditions here. They are important to you!
You are expected to organise your travel independently to the destination for most of our tours, but once you are at the location, we take care of everything.
For more inspiration
Read our wine travel blog. For more, read our online wine magazine the BKWine Magazine with articles from all over the wine world.
And also:
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Newsletter on wine
Subscribe to our free wine and travel newsletter, the BKWine Brief. Each month, it gives you news from the world of wine, restaurant recommendations, tips on our favourite wine producers and much more. It will also keep you updated on forthcoming wine and food tours.
