Emmanuel Tresmontant - 2011-08-02

 

Wachau has been dubbed by some as "the Tuscany of Austria". Its sculpted and harmonious landscapes resemble works of art, shaped by both man and nature.

 

Give yourself two or three days and find yourself captivated by the beauty of this countryside with its wonderfully preserved villages, colourful churches with bell towers, compact farms with prominent roofs, orchards in bloom, its roads, forests and, especially, its prestigious hand-built vineyard terraces. Johann Strauss lived in the Wachau region in 1867 before composing his famous Blue Danube waltz.

 

 

The best way to discover Wachau is to take a cruise boat from Krems in the morning and cruise along the river to Spitz. After a lunch at Gasthaus Prankl, rent a bike and return to Krems on the famous Danube cycle path where you can stop as many times as you like (the ride should take between 2 to 3 hours.)

From the boat you can admire the most famous village in Wachau, Dürnstein, a small architectural gem popular with the Viennese. There is a sumptuous Relais & Chateaux Hotel and one of the finest wineries in the region: Domäne Wachau, an 18th century palace built on a hillside with its labyrinth of cellars dating back to the Middle Ages. 

 

 

Despite its limited size, the Wachau region produces a small quantity of excellent white wines, sold at exorbitant prices in the United States and Great Britain. Riesling and Grüner Veltliner draw a unique minerality from the local hills reminiscent of the great Chablis wines. To sample these wines, which with age express delicate notes of apricot, pay a visit to the region’s best winemakers: Franz Hirtzberger in Spitz, Prager in Weissenkirchen and Pichler in Loiben.

The Austrians love to drink their wines young under barrel vaults of the typical Heuriger wine taverns, which since 1794 have been allowed to sell a third of their own wines. When it’s time for a snack, treat yourself to roast smoked pork, freshly grated horseradish, rustic bread, butter, pickles, tomatoes and cheese.

 

 

Charming places to eat and stay
All along the picturesque Danube there is an abundance of hotels and restaurants, the majority of which are run by winemakers. I recommend that you spend a night in the HolzapfelEstate at Joching: a former 18th century riverside monastery that Barbara and Karl Holzapfel have beautifully restored. The rooms are charming and the food served in the garden is of a very high standard (traditional, yet light Austrian cuisine). They also have some very attractive lightly sparkling wines.

The Niglestate in Senftenberg, is located at the foot of a ruined castle overlooking the vineyards. You can dine here on a terrace under the moonlight whilst listening to the chirping song of crickets. The waitresses wear traditional dress (the dirndl), and the cuisine is delightful: crayfish terrine, wild garlic soup, fish and game all perfectly prepared. As for the wines, try the beautiful Riesling1997 Nigl with its silky palette and a nose of honey and apricot.

 

The best restaurant in Austria?
If you’re a passionate foodie don’t miss out on a meal at the Landhaus Bacher restaurant in Mautern, a national institution. Two generations of cooks work here: Lisl Wagner-Bacher, the mother, who has been voted "Austria’s best Chef" on innumerable occasions since the early 1980s, and Thomas Dorfer, her son, who also gained the same title in 2009. Their cuisine is both traditional and creative. All the classic Austrian dishes are prepared with a touch of refinement and lightness: Tafelspitz (boiled beef) with horseradish, veal cutlets, and also Austrian Salmon with wild garlic gnocchi and Riesling sauce. A specialty of the house is the soft-boiled egg with mashed potato and caviar. As for the dessert, try the Wachau regional favourite, the Marillenknödel - an apricot dumpling. The restaurant also has a fine wine list. There are two dining rooms overlooking a garden. Prices range from 100€ to 150€ for a meal, including wine.

 

 

Melk Abbey, the jewel of Wachau
This is one of Austria’s most visited monuments and so much has been written about it elsewhere. There’s nothing to add here, except perhaps to say that a visit leaves you somewhat perplexed. This abbey, built on a rock overhanging the Danube has quite stocky proportions yet from a distance it gives the impression of rising up to the heavens. Inside, the luxury of its architecture and its paintings contrasts with the austerity of its Benedictine founders. The immensity of the marble hall, designed to welcome the imperial family, is illustrated with a motto over the door: "tamquam Christus hospites suscipiantur" ("Every guest must be greeted like Christ himself.") The library, a masterpiece of Baroque art, houses 100,000 precious books and was the inspiration for Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. The terrace connecting the library to the marble hall offers an exceptional view over the Danube.

 

 

 

The Wachau region

 

The Danube

 

Dürnstein Village:

 

The Wachau Estate:

 

Hotel-Restaurant Holzapfel :

 

Hotel-Restaurant Nigl :

 

Landhaus-Bacher Restaurant:

 

Melk Abbey: