Fancy a country pub experience in Austria? Welcome to the family-friendly Cider Pub which is also an Animal Sanctuary. Welcome to the Austrian Heuriger with a difference!
Filmed at the Mostheuriger Fuchsberger & Wiesmayrgut Gnadenhof, Gunskirchen, Austria.
www.wiesmayrgu...
Film by Deanna Allison.
From the narration:
I’m an English migrant living in Austria. Now, like a lot of English people, I do like a nice English country pub.
But England is a bit too far to go on a hot afternoon when you’re living in Upper Austria.
It’s OK though, because I have discovered the Heuriger.
So what on earth is a Heuriger?
Well, it’s a type of Austrian tavern.
A Heuriger is a place where local wine or juice makers serve their new produce during the growing season.
And we can thank Austrian Emperor Joseph II for their existence.
On 17 August 1784 he issued a decree that permitted all residents to open establishments to sell and serve self-produced wine and juices.
Heuriger is an abbreviation of "heuriger Wein" - or, this year's wine.
And the Heuriger tavern is named after it.
Today, the Heuriger taverns are renowned for an atmosphere of Gemütlichkeit, or cosiness, shared among people enjoying young wine and simple food.
Don’t worry if you’re in a fruit growing area of Germany, Slovenia or in Friuli in Italy - there are also similar places there too.
Recently a friend drove us to a Heuriger nestled in the rolling hills near Gunskirchen, in the countryside a few kilometers outside of Wels in Upper Austria.
A Heuriger like this one, where apple or pear cider is served is called a Mostheuriger.
This is the Mostheuriger Fuchberger and it has a fabulous sunny terrace with a view across the fields.
It’s next to a restored Vierkanthof farmhouse
It’s open from April to September, Mondays to Fridays from 4 pm.
The Most produced here is made from pressed apples.
In Germany this might be called Apfelwein or Viez.
Most has an alcohol content typically of about 6 per cent and a tart, sour taste.
It’s often drunk diluted with water.
And it’s just the thing on a hot summer evening.
This is nothing like the sweet industrial stuff you often see stacked high in plastic bottles in an English supermarket.
Of course, other drinks are available - not least, apple juice. But if you’re at a Mostheuriger and you don’t want a drink made from apples, then the drink is likely to have been bought in.
With the cider, I ate Grammelnschmalz on dark bread. It’s made from pork fat and it’s an Austrian speciality, though there are similar dishes in other countries. Mine was served with thinly cut raw onions on top.
Now, Grammelnschmalz is basically lumpy lard but don’t let that put you off. It’s very tasty. But your breath may be rather strong for a few hours afterwards if you eat the onions. And it’s certainly not vegetarian, which is interesting because this Heuriger is also an animal sanctuary or Gnadenhof.
You drink your cider and eat your meal with chickens running about, around your seat and under your feet while from the nearby animal enclosure you hear the braying of donkeys and - perhaps unsurprisingly - lots of rooster calls.
The enclosure is quite big and it’s worth leaving your table and taking a few minutes to look at the animals. This is also a popular place to show children, of course.
Here they also look after emus and goats, sheep and pigs, ponies and ducks, horses, peacocks, lamas, cattle, camels and rabbits, and dogs and cats.
Their website, wiesmayrgut.at , explains their ethos this way:
They use their strength as an organisation to help animals that no one else needs and wants.
[because only those who are strong themselves have the power to help others.]
But to be strong requires financial resources.
So the Mostheuriger offers meat as well as vegetarian and vegan dishes to ensure their survival because 90% of their guests do not want to completely abstain from meat. And they explain that their meat is from controlled, morally acceptable sources.
I should add here that Austria is a fairly carnivorous country with perhaps fewer vegetarian food options than in England.
I should also add that there are other ways to give financial support to the work of this animal sanctuary, for example you can sponsor an animal.
So, in conclusion - if someone recommends a heuriger, do pay a visit. You won’t regret it.
If you’re visiting a Heuriger, the chances are that you’ll need a car or possibly a bicycle to get there since they are often in the middle of nowhere.
Having said that, they are often in the middle of some gorgeous countryside and it’s well worth the effort to get to a good Heuriger like this one.
They’re popular, there’s a great atmosphere and this one is particularly family friendly.
However, do remember that the Heuriger experience is one for the warmer months as they tend to close at the end of the summer.
Негізгі бет Austria's Animal Sanctuary Tavern
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