One of Weissenkirchen's most respected estate Heuriger evenings, the Prager family opens their courtyard on designated evenings during the season. The green pine branch (Fichtenbuschen) outside signals that the Heuriger is open for the evening.
The list: Weingut Prager's estate Heuriger opens in summer and autumn evenings, serving the full range from Steinfeder through Smaragd Riesling and Gruner Veltliner at estate prices in the producers's own courtyard.
Address: Weissenkirchen 48, 3610 Weissenkirchen in der Wachau
A Spitz estate Heuriger; Hirtzberger's courtyard serves Wachau DAC Riesling at cellar-door prices. The Singerriedel Smaragd, a single-vineyard bottling from the gneiss terraces above Spitz, appears here directly at source.
The list: Franz Hirtzberger's estate Heuriger in Spitz serves only the estate's wines including Steinporz Federspiel and Singerriedel Smaragd Riesling from the terraces above Spitz, by the glass in a village courtyard setting.
The Kunsthalle Krems (contemporary art gallery) runs a wine bar that integrates the region's Wachau and Kremstal wines with art openings and musical events.
The list: The bar at Krems's contemporary art museum pours Wachau and Kremstal wines alongside exhibition openings and evening cultural events. Music and performance programs are frequent, creating a listening-bar atmosphere on event nights.
Wein und Co is Austria's leading wine retail chain and the Krems location serves as a wine bar in the evenings, with a consistently good Wachau and Lower Austrian selection.
The list: Wein und Co's Krems branch is open into the evening, offering a broad by-the-glass selection of Austrian wines including Wachau producers, with a relaxed wine-bar atmosphere and occasional tasting events.
A village gasthaus rather than a tourist wine bar, the Alte Riedmuehle in Spitz has a relaxed evening atmosphere where local winegrowers are regulars. A useful evening stop when visiting producers in the upper Wachau.
The list: Village gasthaus in Spitz with a comfortable bar area serving Wachau wines from local producers, including some not widely available in export markets. A relaxed local-facing venue where local winegrowers are regulars.
The Roman cellar at Nikolaihof, incorporating masonry from the 1st-century Danube limes garrison, creates one of the most unusual evening tasting atmospheres in Austria.
The list: On evenings when the Roman cellar at Nikolaihof is open for visits, the estate serves wine from the current vintage in the historic stone vault that incorporates Roman-era construction from the Faviana garrison period.
The hotel Schloss Durnstein, occupying a 17th-century Renaissance castle on the Danube at Durnstein, offers cellar evening tastings in its original stone vault.
The list: The hotel's historic vaulted cellar hosts wine tasting evenings for house guests, featuring vertical flights of Wachau Smaragd wines poured by the sommelier in a Baroque stone cellar setting beneath the castle.