My friend and I spent a few days driving around Lower Austria and Burgenland at the beginning of…read morethis month. One of the reasons we wanted to visit Lower Austria was to taste some wine in the Wachau Valley. The Wachau Valley is 40-kilometer/25-mile UNESCO World Heritage site along the Danube River in Lower Austria, famous for its steep vineyards producing white wines, apricot orchards, castles, and more. There are lots of wineries to choose from when you visit the Wachau Valley, but decided to do a tour and tasting at Domäne Wachau. The winery dates back to the 12th century, but it has been a cooperative since the 1930s. They produce very traditional Austrian wines, and 70% of their production is Grüner Veltliner. Our private tour and tasting lasted a couple of hours, and we learned a lot about the winery's history and their wines. We were walked through the vineyard and the cellar, including their vintage room. We learned a lot about their history and the wines they make from our lovely guide. Our tasting included five wines (I think) and an apricot brandy (they also gave us water and some locally made bread). It was a great tour, and we really enjoyed learning about this special wine region and this great winery.

We visited here on a stop during a Christmas time river cruise. It was an excursion you could take…read moreoff the boat. We were in Europe with our parents who opted out of this activity because none of them really enjoy wine (weirdos I know). Either way it gave us a great opportunity to have a little date night getaway without the folks. We walked off of the cruise boat and were guided on a fun sunset walk to the winery on a small picturesque dirt road. Upon arriving we were guided down into the super cool old cellars which were deep and COLD. Saw a very old phone on the wall that reminded us of world war II times and a very cool barrel that had a family tree carved into it. We were then taken upstairs to the tasting area which is the opposite of the cellar very light bright and contemporary with light wood and windows. Beautiful spot to meet some of our fellow shipmates and discuss delicious wine from region that was new to me. All of the wines we had were fantastic and there was even bread rolls to eat so we didn't get too loopy to walk back to the ship. I especially remember loving the white wines. If we had more room in our luggage I would have bought tons more to have at home to enjoy. This place is historical, beautiful, and they have perfect wines. Do enjoy!