Heuriger

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In eastern Austria, a Heuriger^[1] (German pronunciation: [ˈhɔʏʁɪɡɐ]; Austrian dialect pronunciation: Heiriga) is a tavern where local winemakers serve their new wine under a special licence in alternating months during the growing season. Each state in Austria has slightly varying rules on how many Heuriger of a town can be open at any given time and for how long in total during the year.^[2][3] The Heurige are renowned for their atmosphere of Gemütlichkeit shared among a throng enjoying young wine, simple food, and – in some places – Schrammelmusik. They correspond to the Straußwirtschaften in the German Rheinland, the Frasche in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Osmica in Slovenia.

Heuriger is the abbreviation of "heuriger Wein" (this year's wine) in Austrian and Bavarian German. Originally, they were simple open-air taverns on the premises of winemakers, where people would bring along food and drink the new wine. Nowadays, the taverns are often situated at a distance from the wineyards and offer both food and drinks. Heurige where apple or pear cider is served are called Mostheurige. In the well-known wine-growing areas of the city of Vienna (Grinzing, Sievering, Neustift, Liesing) many eating establishments have a rustic interior design similar to Heurige, yet they have a normal licence and sell wine they buy from outside sources.