The only reason travelers to Krems – who are, to give them credit, are quite advanced tourists in the sense that they have decided to leave Vienna and explore a few other things that Austria can offer – would walk to the other side of Danube is because they get impressed by the sight of Göttweig Abbey. While certainly an imposing decoration of the hill it is standing on, the abbey is absolutely dull unless one is interested in its vast collection of old books or the well-rated but boring-looking restaurant, which was, incidentally, closed today.
Yet, were the visitors a bit more advanced, they would notice that the village of Furth, as well as Mautern nearby, are home to some of the best Heurige in the area, much better than the ones one can come across in mega-touristic Dürnstein and Weißenkirchen. Hackner is the perfect example. Only locals go there, and if you want a table, you better reserve in advance or be as amazingly lucky as I was today.
The wines were absolutely top. Not cheap, even at ab Hof prices, they would make a perfect gift or bring up good memories if you choose to drink them yourself. The Brettljause, on the other hand, was a strange beast. Featuring three different kinds of Schweinsbraten, it would certainly thrill all the hardcore Schweinsbraten connoisseurs. Unfortunately not being one of those, I viewed the Schweinsbraten as a single ingredient with many appearances, while thoroughly enjoying their identical (in my view) taste. The dry, salty Surbraten tasted even better, and I must commend the Liptauer for being spicy, which is a real rarity in this region. Separating the vegetables and the horseradish onto a separate plate was also a novel and sensible decision, while the Vinschgerl roll, though costing extra, was very fresh and even warm.
Having visited Hackner, I am now looking forward to trying other Heurige that the “wrong” side of Danube offers. Considering how easily reachable Krems is from Vienna, I feel there is a wealth of low-hanging Brettljausen out there that I ought to try.
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