| Location: | Weingut & Heuriger Rehrl-Fischer |
| Website: | https://www.rehrl-fischer.at/ |
| Address: | Rossatzbach 19, 3602 Rossatzbach |
| Status: | Open (last checked on 1 February 2025) |
| Eaten: | "Bretteljause", small bottle of mineral water, ¼ Grüner Veltliner "Federspiel" Ried Kirnberg, 1/8 Grüner Veltliner "Glanzlicht," 1/8 Weißburgunder "Smaragd" Ried Kirnberg, 1/8 Gelber Muskateller |
The village of Rossatzbach would have been largely unknown were it not for its extremely lucky location just across the Danube from the highly touristic town of Durnstein. Apart from wine and apricot liquor from the surrounding area and its blue church tower, Durnstein is mainly famous for the ruins of a castle on the hillside above it – the castle in which King Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart, spent about three months in captivity. Now, I do not know how the conditions for noble prisoners like Richard were in the 12th century, but I am pretty sure watching Netflix or playing with the phone were not an option. That means that The Lionheart must have spent most of the time looking out of his cell’s window at the winter landscapes of the Wachau valley and, in particular, the wine taverns of Rossatzbach, thinking of the Brettljausen they served, yet unable to taste them.
Heuriger Rehrl-Fischer would have been one of the taverns he saw, had it existed at the time. On the other hand, Rehrl-Fischer has been producing wine since the end of the 18th century, which is also a damn long time.
Rehrl-Fischer’s “Bretteljause” is very typical to the Wachau region. On the one hand, it is fresh, varied and well presented. On the other hand, it is ultimately boring, since none of the ingredients, save one, have a distinct and memorable taste. While in Styria, Carinthia and the western parts of Lower Austria strong flavor is a norm, the Heurige in Wachau seem to resist giving their Brettljausen an intense taste, as if afraid that it would distract the visitors from the quality of the wines. The only exception in Rehrl-Fischer’s case was the Schweinsbraten (hidden underneath the other slices on the photo), which was nearly perfect. It is a shame that the bread rolls were not as fresh as I had expected.
Despite having two floors and plenty of space, Rehrl-Fischer appears to be very popular among the locals, so consider reserving a table or at least arriving at an off-peak time. While the Brettljause is not special, the service is nice and efficient, the wines are great, and the number of tourists is significantly lower than you would find on the other side of the river.