Each cellar has its own character
Three sisters, three cellars, three trails, one slope. Hiking along the 3 Sisters Trail in the Wine Region.
At first glance, the three sisters of the Wine Region are fundamentally different. And yet - as in every family - there are similarities that only become apparent at second glance. Besides the wine, the three villages are connected by three cellar alleys and one trail.
The 3 Sisters Trail leads 23 kilometres through vineyards, to long avenues, the most beautiful cellar alleys and three wine villages that are like sisters - from the sparkling Poysdorfer sister, to the somewhat crazy Herrnbaumgartner, to the romantic Falkensteiner. Three female winegrowers will take you on a tour of their favourite cellar alleys and tell you stories about tradition and upheaval and about arrivals and departures. Come and join us!
Winegrower Monika Neustifter tells us about the Radyweg in Poysdorf
Sometimes, when Monika Neustifter walks along the Radyweg, she thinks of her childhood. Of the days spent under the dense foliage, which looked like a fairytale tunnel. Or of how she found a chance to cool down in the cellars. Today, almost 30 years later, a lot has happened in her life, but the Radyweg is still one of her favourite places. Before turning into the cellar alley, Monika Neustifter recommends a visit to the Vino Versum. Here, you can learn exciting facts about the history of the region and also why Poysdorf is the local sparkling wine stronghold. The chalky loess soil in the area is perfect for sparkling wines with a strong character.
If you leave Poysdorf via the Radyweg you will soon reach the Buschenschank Radykölla. Bacon and ham from the smokehouse are served there in addition to Poysdorf wine. If you prefer to rest undisturbed, follow the trail a few metres up the slope to a wooden bench. Behind the green cellar door is the Kellerrast, a self-service cellar of the Neustifter winery. Right next door is a vacant plot where the loess wall comes to light. Monika Neustifter enjoys lingering here. “You can carve figures into the damp earth with your finger and watch the sand crumble”. In general, loess soil plays a major role in viticulture - and especially so in the cellar alleys. Thanks to its moist-sandy consistency, it was comparatively easy to dig the wine cellars.
If you follow the Radyweg up the slope to the last cellar, you will reach a picnic area, where tables and hammocks on a hill invite you to linger. Monika Neustifter advises visiting in spring. "There is nowhere more beautiful to watch nature awaken".
Winemaker Irene Tagwerker talks about the Schindergasse in Herrnbaumgarten
When Irene Tagwerker walks to the end of Schindergasse, she comes to a place where many things suddenly disappear - the hustle and bustle, everyday life, and sometimes even time. A place that is ideally suited for resting and where one had better plan a little more time. But one thing after the other. We start in the Herrnbaumgarten area; or, more precisely, in front of the Nonseum. The Nonseum is a unique museum that displays nonsense such as music stands for songbirds or automatic nose-pickers, which earned Herrnbaumgarten the reputation of the somewhat "wacky" sister. When you leave the Vierkanthof, which also houses the kitchen museum and the wacky vinotheque, you find your way to Schindergasse on the left.
For Irene Tagwerker, a local of Herrnbaumgartner, this alley is one of the most beautiful and, above all, one of the most unusual cellar alleys of all. It is deeply dug into the loess mountains and the wine press houses nestle gently against the loamy hollow. At 350 metres, you will find a colourful mixture of brick cellar entrances, overgrown façades and lovingly renovated wine press houses. The first opportunity to stop for a bite to heat is at the start of the cellar alley, on the right-hand side - the wein.keller.sporr. This cosy Heurige is run by the Sporr family and is known for its excellent home cooking.
After a few steps, you pass the Mariengrotte, a monument to Herrnbaumgarten's identity that was erected with the help of the residents at the end of the 1970s. The alley now becomes steeper and steeper, which hikers notice in their calves. A circumstance to which the cellar alleys possibly owe their name. According to local legend, cows and horses had to toil hard to pull the heavy carts along the steep alley. If you continue walking and take a look at the left side, you might discover the caves in the loamy soil behind the dense foliage of the acacia trees. About a hundred years ago, entire large families actually lived there, most of them day labourers who lived from working in the fields and vineyards.
From here, you walk in the dense shade of the trees towards the end of Schindergasse while arriving at Irene Tagwerker's favourite spot at the same time. On the left are the vineyards, from which you can nibble on some sweet grapes at the right time of year. On the right, there is a wide, green meadow where a unique view suddenly opens up over forests, fields and Herrnbaumgarten. Irene Tagwerker suggests that you spend some time up here. Because who knows, maybe it will disappear.
Winemaker Irene Luckner talks about the Oagossn in Falkenstein
In the cellar alleys around Falkenstein, it’s not only wine ripens, but also a very special attitude to life - the conviviality of the wine region. Irene Luckner, a winemaker and Falkenstein resident, knows this only too well - getting together, eating and drinking together, celebrating and singing, this exuberance that has become as much a part of the wine region as winemaking itself.
Those who work hard, says Irene Luckner, long for getting together and having fun. Back then, the winegrowers called it "cellar hour", when people sat together in the cellar alleys and talked about life over a glass of wine. Today, the conviviality is most evident in tastings, open cellar doors and in the wine and cellar alley festivals of the wine region. One of the most beautiful takes place every year in late summer in the “Oagossn” (Egg Alley). At the start of the festival, the entire cellar alley is lit up by candlelight, and on the following days, each winegrowers' family serves up their very own house specialities and, of course, there is no shortage of wine. But even away from the big events, life in the Oagossn is all about cheerfulness. Just how lively the cellar alley is can be seen in the first few metres when you turn off Marktstraße Falkenstein. After a few steps you pass the “genusswerkstatt sieben:schläfer” - a restaurant with a creative menu and a cosy veranda from which you can watch the hustle and bustle of the Oagossn.
After a bend, the narrow alley is flanked by two colourful and lovingly restored cellar alleys. Just a few metres further on, you will find two typical local Heurigenbetriebe, which are known not only for their excellent Brettljausen (Austrian ploughman’s lunch) and wines, but especially for their atmospheric ambience. “When it’s time to eat out”, Irene Luckner advises, “you should come to the Oagossn as hungry as possible so that you don't miss any of the specialities. But you shouldn't stay too long. At the end of the Oagossn, whose name goes back to the egg merchants, a work of art awaits - an oversized, mirrored egg that towers over the cellar alley as if it wants to watch the spectacle from above.
