Not only does Vienna have a significant wine-growing industry, the city even has its own state-owned winery. And, once a year, the Cobenzl Winery open day gives visitors a taste of the business (see what I did there?).
- Look inside the winery
- Try the (award-winning) wines
- Free entry, but payment required for tastings
- 2023 date: TBA (was May 14 in 2022)
- See also:
Cobenzl Winery
Weingut Cobenzl (to give it its German name) is owned by the city of Vienna.
Not only is it owned by the city, but it’s located within the city limits, too. Astoundingly, Vienna actually has a flourishing vineyard sector, thanks to its outlying hills and grape-friendly climate.
Nor is Viennese wine to be sniffed at. We have a proper vineyard culture here that dates back to Roman days.
Cobenzl Winery is one of the main players, producing whites and reds from such local varieties as Grüner Veltliner or Blauer Zweigelt. It’s perhaps most famous for its Wiener Gemischter Satz, a blended white wine awarded DAC status.
(DAC stands for Districtus Austriae Controllatus, which indicates a quality wine typical of a region.)
Impressively, the vineyard is on its way to becoming a fully-certified organic enterprise, with the first organic wines expected in 2023.
And if you need more specific evidence of Cobenzl’s credentials…the winery took home gold medals in the Sekt, Riesling kräftig and Weißburgunder kräftig categories at the 2021 Wiener Weinpreis awards.
Once a year, the Cobenzl Winery opens its doors to everyone at the Tag der offenen Kellertür, which translates directly as the “Day of the Open Cellar Door”. Throughout the day, you can take a tour of the winery (in German, I think, but still), and taste some of the excellent wines produced from its many vineyards.
Incidentally, the winery has two immediate neighbours of possible interest to visitors:
- Landgut Wien Cobenzl is a city farm that delivery exactly what it say on the label: a series of farm stalls and enclosures where kids (and their older companions) can get up close to farm animals.
- Waldgrill Cobenzl is a traditional Austrian restaurant I often went to with my kids after visiting the city farm.
Dates and tickets
Don’t have dates for the 2023 open day, yet; the 2022 date was May 14th from 10am to 8pm. Keep an eye on the website (see below).
Entry is free, but if you wish to try the wines you’ll need to buy some kind of token (a €20 armband at the last event).
How to get to Cobenzl
Inevitably, the winery is not next to a subway station in the middle of Vienna; it’s out in the hills that edge the city. But, this being Vienna, it’s not too hard to reach by car or public transport.
The 38A bus stops outside at the free Cobenzl car park: Parkplatz Cobenzl. The bus sets off from Heiligenstadt station, which is a stop on the U4 subway line.
(When you’re up there, take the opportunity to look out across the city from the hillside.)
Address: Am Cobenzl 96, 1190 Vienna | Website