Anyone travelling through Lower Austria will experience a special cultural heritage: the wine cellar lanes. Around 1,100 wine cellar lanes - or villages without chimneys, as they are popularly known - stretch along hollow paths and gentle vineyard slopes. They used to be press houses, storage rooms and wine cellars . Today they have been revitalised in many places and are places for socialising, wine taverns, tastings and festivals.
ZELLERNDORF
With 1.2 kilometres and 126 historic press houses , "Maulavern" is one of the longest wine cellar lanes in the Weinviertel. Between old adobe walls, built with authentic rammed earth, and in deep cellar tunnels, it tells the story of winegrowing in past centuries. By e-bike or on foot , you can take an idyllic journey through time between rustic and beautiful press houses.
WILDENDÜRNBACH
184 press houses nestle around the 256 metre-high Galgenberg, also known as "Golingbiri"- a place of tranquillity, foresight and living wine culture. The historically grown lane lies to the north of Wildendürnbach and offers a marvellous view as far as South Moravia.
PULKAUTAL
With a length of 1.6 kilometres and over 400 press houses, the Hadres wine cellar lane is the longest "structurally closed" cellar lane in Europe. Embedded in gentle hollow paths, it invites you to take quiet walks and imparts knowledge about winegrowing tradition and clay cellar culture. A cellar wellness area with loungers, a showroom of old equipment and open cellar doors in summer bring it to life.
ROHRENDORF NEAR KREMS
At 1.65 kilometres, the Rohrendorf wine cellar lane is the longest in Austria. Since the 14th century , the 72 press houses and cellar pipes have been preserved and maintained for posterity. The hollow paths are a wonderful place to stroll and discover the nature that gives the centuries-old wine-growing area its character.
OBERNALB NEAR RETZ
The Hühnerkoppel wine cellar lane is a silent labyrinth of sand cellars - not a classic wine village, but a place to marvel at. 26 historic pre-caps lead into storage cellars up to 60 metres deep, which were once used for sand mining. Guided tours immerse you in a sunken world, accompanied by wine tastings and stories from the 18th century.
ZÖBING NEAR LANGENLOIS
On the famous Riesling slope of the Heiligenstein , one wine cellar follows the next in Zöbing. Cosy wine taverns with gardens and arbours invite you to linger while your gaze wanders over the Kamp Valley ("Kamptal" in German). Every summer, the cellar doors are opened for the traditional cellar lane festival and offer regional specialities such as meat dumplings and Blunzengröstel.
FEUERSBRUNN AM WAGRAM
The approximately 4 km long Feuersbrunn wine cellar lane follows the gentle course of a ditch on the Wagram and is home to around 260 historic cellars - making it one of the largest wine cellar lanes in Lower Austria. Wine taverns and Buschenschank (typical taverns) are open to guests all year round. A small wine museum provides exciting insights into the regional wine culture. Origin, craftsmanship and flavour are impressively combined here.
TRAISMAUER
Between Sitzenberg-Reidling and Traismauer lies the Ahrenberger-Eichberger wine cellar lane - Austria's longest continuously managed wine cellar lane with around 130 historic cellars. Along idyllic hollow paths, wine taverns open their cellars all year round. A 350 metre long educational wine trail imparts knowledge about regional viticulture. High above the vines, the 15-metre-high "Korkenzieher" observation tower offers a sweeping view of the Traisental. A lively place where wine culture and landscape merge.
