Hey guys!
Slightly delayed on this week’s newsletter again, but consider this one step closer to us getting fully back on schedule next week. This one’s a fun one though: a magical 24 hours in Styria, a classic Viennese late night snack everyone should try at least once, and dinner with an ethereal natural wine producer from Slovenia. Hope you enjoy!
24 Hours in Styria ⛰ 🍷
How a detour from Vienna turned into one of the best days of the trip
One day in Austria last week stands out from the others. What was supposed to be an easy day in Vienna before VieVinum somehow turned into an impromptu trip down to South Styria, about three hours away.
Pictured: Styria
The day started early, but painfully slow. We had spent the night before at Rundbar, one of Vienna’s great wine watering holes, and I woke up operating on very little sleep with a pretty ambitious plan ahead. The idea was to rent a car in Vienna with some friends, drive an hour south to pick up my friend Steven and winemaker Herbert near Eisenstadt, then continue on to Styria for the night.
Pictured: (Left to Right) Nathan, Steven, Elias
That plan immediately started unraveling at the rental car counter.
I had reserved a small compact car for the drive, something manageable for navigating Vienna’s streets and the winding, steep Styrian roads ahead. Instead, the Europcar employee told me they were completely out of small cars and that the only vehicle left was a massive Volkswagen van. Already running very late, I reluctantly agreed and signed the papers.
Pictured: Our Rental Car
A few minutes later, I found myself white-knuckling what basically felt like a small U-Haul through the streets of Vienna. Between the narrow streets, trams, and my complete lack of confidence driving this thing, it was one of the more stressful starts to a day I’ve had in a while.
Somehow though, we managed to collect everyone in Vienna and Eisenstadt and finally made our way south toward Styria.
Pictured: Styria
The first thing we did when we arrived was eat, naturally, because none of us had really eaten all day. The winemakers chose the restaurant: a beautiful traditional spot called Winzerhaus tucked into the hills of the region. It honestly felt almost too picturesque to be real. Wooden interiors, traditional Styrian food, and rolling green hills outside the windows.
Pictured: Food at Winzerhaus
After lunch, we headed to Herbert’s place to walk the vineyards and taste barrel samples. Herbert’s project, Wachstum König, is a special one, and someone we’ll definitely talk more about another time. Some of you might recognize him from the Night Out with Swurl episode we filmed last Fall.
Pictured: Herbert in his cellar
That evening, Herbert took us to dinner at Thaller, an incredible farm-to-table restaurant near his home, and after a few bottles, we finally called it a night.
Pictured: Thaller Bottle Lineup
The next morning, we visited Elias Muster, the son of legendary Styrian winemakers Maria and Sepp Muster, who is now making wines both for the family estate and under his own project as well. Elias walked us through the vineyards, opened countless bottles, and generously let us taste through nearly everything. It ended up being the perfect final note to the trip.
Pictured: Elias Muster
Reflecting back, it’s funny how quickly a random last minute detour turned into one of the most memorable parts of my Austria trip. Huge thanks to Herbert and Elias for hosting us and showing us around Styria.
Don't Leave Vienna Without Eating This 🌭
A guide to the Käsekrainer, the city's most beloved street food
There’s a lot of incredible food in Vienna. Between schnitzel, goulash, and apple strudel, I definitely gained a few pounds while I was out there. But there’s one hyper local, traditional dish in Vienna that absolutely cannot be overlooked: the Käsekrainer.
Pictured: Alles Wurscht Käsekrainer
Directly translated to “cheese sausage,” Käsekrainer is beloved by many Viennese locals, and it’s basically exactly what it sounds like: a sausage stuffed with melted cheese. Admittedly, it might not sound all that appealing at first, but trust me, after a long night out, it somehow always hits the spot.
The proper way to acquire a Käsekrainer is from a sausage stand; literally just a tiny booth with a grill, a register, and a large amount of sausages.
Pictured: Alles Wurscht Sausage Stand
The first time I visited Vienna, I stayed near one of the city’s most famous sausage stands, Leo’s Sausage Stand, and since then I’ve made it a point to try new ones every time I’m back. Two others I’ve tested along the way are Alles Wurscht, where one of the VieVinum afterparties took place this year, and Zum Scharfen René, which was featured in the Vienna episode of Action Bronson’s F*ck That’s Delicious series (skip to minute 10:00)
Pictured: Leo’s Sausage Stand Käsekrainer
All of this is to say: the next time you find yourself in Vienna, make it a point to get a Käsekrainer.
Producer Highlight ⭐
One of our favorite parts of wine is the discovery: we’re constantly being put on to new regions, producers, and cuvées from our friends. We’ll never be able to try EVERY wine, but we want to take a moment to mention some producers that excite us!
Organic Anarchy 🍷
Location: Savinja, Slovenia 📍
Pictured: Savinja, Slovenia. Image by Wikipedia
In the magical hills of eastern Slovenia, Aci Urbajs farms one of the most singular estates in natural wine. His project, Organic Anarchy, reflects both his philosophy and personality: intuitive, biodynamic, and entirely unconcerned with intervention.
Pictured: Aci Urbajs. Image by Suzan Gabrijan
Originally trained in economics before turning fully toward wine, Aci has become a cult figure in Slovenia’s natural wine scene for his uncompromising approach to farming and winemaking. His tiny hillside vineyards are farmed without chemicals and vinified with absolutely nothing added, allowing nature to dictate the final result as much as possible.
Pictured: Organic Anarchy Bottles
Organic Anarchy has developed an almost mythical reputation among natural wine drinkers. The labels themselves (minimal, marked by a simple cross) have become instantly recognizable in wine bars around the world.
Pictured: Organic Anarchy Vines. Image by Suzan Gabrijan
Aci’s wines are often wild, textured, oxidative, and alive, ranging from long élevage amber wines to powerful reds that resist easy categorization. While many producers speak about terroir and minimal intervention, Aci pushes the philosophy to its furthest edge, believing that wine is made not by the winemaker, but by nature itself. Few people in the world make wine quite like Organic Anarchy.
Pictured: Organic Anarchy Domaine. Image by Suzan Gabrijan
The vineyards themselves are surrounded by forests, fruit trees, animals, and traces of ancient history, while Aci openly speaks about energy, astronomy, and biodynamic philosophy as central parts of his farming. In a wine world increasingly focused on precision and polish, Organic Anarchy stands apart as something far more personal, raw, and unpredictable; a producer whose wines feel impossible to separate from the worldview behind them.
Pictured: Aci and me
I was lucky enough to attend a dinner with Aci and his daughter Marta, who is now increasingly involved in the wines, at Glacis Beisl in Vienna. Organic Anarchy is notoriously difficult to track down, so it felt incredibly special to experience the wines in that setting.
Pictured: Aci and Marta
The evening consisted of several bottles paired with the incredible cooking of Glacis Beisl, along with a didgeridoo performance by Aci himself. He’s a truly unique and deeply spiritual person, and hearing him speak about wine, nature, and energy throughout the night made the experience feel unimaginably special. Huge thanks to everyone who made the evening possible.
Wine Club Updates 🍷 📦
May’s wine club shipment is heading out this week, and we’re really excited for you all to dive into this month’s lineup. Since I was just traveling through Austria, it felt like the perfect theme for this month’s club, featuring a few bottles that I tasted during my time there.
As always, if you have any questions or run into any issues with your shipment, feel free to reach out to [email protected] and the Table22 team will get you sorted out quickly.
Not a member yet? You can sign up here:
That’s it for today! I’m traveling through Albania for the last leg of my trip before heading back to New York. Excited to share some stories with you all!
Thank so much for reading, and as always, drink responsibly! 🥂