Weinviertel’s wine cellar lanes

The best time to explore the wine cellar lanes is between April and October — when the vines are green, festivals are taking place and mild evenings invite you to linger. Spring (April to June) is particularly charming, when the wineries present their new vintages and host the Weinviertel Wine Tour, as is the highlight of theWine Autumn (September/October) with ripe grapes and numerous cellar lane festivals. 

At times, the wine cellar lanes are transformed into vibrant stages for regional culture. 
In autumn, wine cellar lane festivals draw visitors.
When the Christmas lights are aglow and the scent of mulled wine wafts through the lanes, the atmosphere during Advent in the wine cellar lanes is particularly magical. 

Yes — Retz is easily accessible by train (train services from Vienna or other transport hubs). 

Mailberg is well connected by local bus services from Retz or nearby railway stations. 

For further journeys in the area (perhaps from one wine cellar lane to another), it is advisable to check bus timetables in advance or to use a bicycle or e-bike whilst there. The Weinviertel has a well-developed networkof cycle paths with many beautiful cycling routes through wine-growing villages, wine cellar lanes and vineyards. 

There is a particularly charming lookout point above “Öhlberg” wine cellar lane (Pillersdorf) — from there, you can look out over vineyards, wine-growing villages and rolling hills. The hillsides around Mailberg also offer magnificent panoramic views across the Weinviertel, as does the Kalvarienberg with the Retzer windmill, one of the last operational windmills in Austria. 

Even when the sky is grey, the Weinviertel remains a delight. At theRetzer Erlebniskeller, paths lead deep underground – where it is consistently cool and unaffected by the weather. In the wine-growing villages, wine shops and numerous vineyards – such as the Weindomizil Hagn in Mailberg or the Gruber Röschitz vineyard near Retz – invite you to enjoy tastings in the dry. And when it’s raining outside, it feels twice as cosy and homely inside the wine taverns. 

The Weinviertel DAC, a peppery and fresh Grüner Veltliner, is the perfect wine accompaniment to hearty snacks such as bacon, cheese, Blunzen (black pudding) and fresh bread, whether enjoyed at a wine tavern or on a picnic. Retzer pumpkin, Laaer onions and game are key ingredients in the fine local inn cuisine.