Cafe Culture and other Vienna, Austria Local Custom Tips

Vienna more than any other city outside of Italy and Paris has a booming cafe culture. In the past, the cafes would host some of the more notable literary figures of the day, and still have an air of prestige about them, that the tiny cafes of Paris and Rome do not.

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Heuriger is basically the Viennese way of eating and drinking. The traditional Heurigen are located close to the Wienerwald (the wine-producing region). This is located in Vienna's suburbs.
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There are numerous places inside the city, though they apparently are not the real deal. So I asked for the best / well-known. I was sent to Grinzing, a town right outside of Vienna.

Check out my restaurant tip for Grinzing info.

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Pronounced "Glue wine", or something close to that, this drink was my favorite beverage of Europe. Its basically hot, spiced wine, with a little brandy thrown in to boot. Served from big wooden barrels or large metal vats, around town during the cold weather, it defined my time in Vienna, along with the Christmas Market. It is extremely tasty, and warms you up quickly.

Here is a recipe I found from the net:

Ingredients:

4 qts. dry red wine (such as zinfandel, pinot, burgundy, etc.)
1 qt. dry white wine
1 pt. Marc (or heavy brandy)
1 c. white sugar (more to taste)
6 sticks cinnamon
12 whole cloves
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. mace
2 oranges
1 lemon

Directions:

Pour 6 ounces red wine from the first bottle into an appropriate glass for later quality control checks. This may need to be repeated from another bottle, at the cook's discretion. Pour the remaining wine from the first bottle into a 3 gallon pot (or larger) and begin gentle heating. As it begins to warm, add sugar and spices. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add Marc (or brandy) and all remaining wine. (Note: if there are too many quality control checks, it is frequently necessary to purchase more wine.) Heat thoroughly but do not allow to boil! Add thinly sliced lemon and 1 orange and allow mix to steep for about 1 hour over low heat. Add more sugar during this time if desired, but do it slowly and ensure it dissolves. Frequent samples are usually required during this time, again for the sake of quality control. Serve hot and garnish with orange slices. A stick cinnamon could also be used. Serve about 12-15 folks, or two quality control inspectors.

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