7 Of the Best Wine Bars In Vienna

By Tas TobiasLast updated: May. 12, 2023

With 45,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of cultivated vines, Austria is wine country. Seventy percent are white, dominated by the vegetal Grüner Veltliner but keep a special eye out for Rieslings made on the steep hillsides of the winding Danube in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) – Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal.

The top reds, mainly Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt, come from Burgenland, the area along the border with Hungary. Uniquely, the city of Vienna itself is a wine region, boasting several picturesque vineyards within city limits. Viennese wines are best-known for the Gemischter Satz, a white blend made from different grape varieties that were grown, harvested, and pressed together.

Below, the top wine bars in Vienna, most of them serving both conventional and natural wines.

#1 Pub Klemo Weinbar

Vienna’s Klemo delivers that combination so rare with wine bars: a top wine program and a pretense-free ambiance. Here, no one will expect you to know the difference in soil between Bordeaux and Burgundy, but you won't be alone if that sort of thing gets you going. Around seventy wines are served by the glass, mainly Austrian, French, and Italian, in addition to daily tasting lineups such as "6 Rieslings of Wachau," "6 Reds from the Northern Rhone," or "6 Austrian Sweets."

#2 Heunisch & Erben

Heunisch & Erben is an upscale wine bar and restaurant lining the main road of Vienna's not particularly exciting District 3, a short walk from the city center. The highlight here is the assortment: More than a hundred wines by the glass are available, most of them local. Wine-fans can explore obscure Austrian regions, for example the Traisental in Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) or Steiermark in the south, known for its sauvignon blancs.

#3 Unger und Klein

If Vienna’s fancy-pants wine bars like Heunisch & Erben and MAST are too uppity for your taste, I recommend you try Unger & Klein right in the city center. Opened in 1992, the place on Rudolfsplatz draws a well-off but pretense-free crowd of downtown Viennese with a wide selection of mainly Austrian wines. Bottles by seminal producers are stacked on the shelves, including the Rieslings of Johannes Hirsch in Kamptal or those by Knoll in Wachau.

#4 MAST Weinbistro

Run by two formerly fine-dining sommeliers, MAST is a high-end wine bar and bistro in Vienna's elegantly sleepy Porzellangasse in Distric 9. A wraparound wooden counter lit by pendant light bulbs awaits oenophiles, who can pick from a few dozen bubbles, whites, and reds by the glass on any day (half Austrian, half foreign, both conventional and natural producers).

#5 Die Rundbar

Rundbar is a natural wine bar and restaurant smack in the heart of Vienna's fashionable District 7. Accordingly, an inflated sense of cool afflicts the servers here (a waiter the other day made a habit of pouring the wines on the go, two at a time, with varying degrees of success). But on good days, Rundbar can be more than just a feel-good hangout for uninspired Viennese hipsters.

#6 Wein & Co (Schottentor)

With several locations across Vienna, Wein & Co is the best-known wine store in the city. Their assortment runs wide and deep and I’ve found plenty of treasures here (I can’t help that my natural wine-purist friends turn up their noses at such a “mainstream” establishment). Each store comes with a dedicated wine bar featuring 30 or so by-the-glass options (€6-9 each), both Austrian and foreign.

#7 Cafe Kandl

If you’re curious about the hottest address among Viennese hipsters currently, head to Cafe Kandl. Fans of natural wines, staches, white socks, beanies, and wire-framed glasses will find themselves at home in this buzzing restaurant located in a District 7 side street. Both the food and the wine program fit right into the global zeitgeist: Kandl's vegetable-forward shared plates and easy-drinking natural wines would be familiar in places like northern Williamsburg, Brooklyn (its prices, too).

Rankings are based on a combination of food/drink, atmosphere, service, and price. To remain unbiased, I visit all places incognito and pay for my own meals and drinks. I also never accept money in exchange for coverage. But this means I must rely on readers to support my work. If you've enjoyed this article, please consider making a one-time payment (PayPal) or becoming an Offbeat Patron.