When sturm is on the menu

It's on the menu!

You know you're in Vienna when... it's harvest time and sturm is on the menu.  Sturm is partially fermented grape juice, and I must admit, it is delicious!  It is slightly sweet and a bit bubbly.

Clockwise from lower left: the harvest, sturm advert, rot sturm, weiss sturm

Sturm comes in red (rot) and white (weiss).  Red sturm is commonly made from Zweigelt grapes, and the white from Grüner Veltliner.

Zweigelt and Grüner Veltliner grapes

I guess way back in the day, folks just couldn't wait for their wine to be ready, so they broke into the barrel and tapped into the sweet juice.  Who can blame them?

Sturm hut on the Am Hof, Vienna

Today drinking sturm in the fall is an Austrian tradition.  If you are in Vienna during sturm season, I encourage you to try some.  But be quick about it; it is only available for a short time.


Links to You Know You're in Vienna When:

Introducing You Know You're in Vienna When

When excellent wines are but an hour away

When you don't carry a watch
When Turkenschanz turns crimson and gold
When dinkel's in your bread
When there's beauty in a regentag
When you've got the Gluhwein boost
When it's Silvester