Autumn Pleasures

Autumn Pleasures in CENTROPE

For many, autumn is the loveliest season of the year. It offers many sensual experiences worthwhile to see or taste – just think of harvesting celebrations, feasts, wine and seasonal dishes. Let’s explore the unforgettable autumn taste of CENTROPE.

The way to a person’s heart is through the stomach

Goose and wine are typical autumnal smells in the region. As every single goose recipe, wine and atmosphere is different, it’s worthwhile to taste them all. Around 11 November, the traditional "Martiniloben" ceremonies take place in honour of the patron saint of Burgenland. According to tradition, you may raise your glass to another person only after the young wine has been “baptised”. For this reason, many winemakers open their cellar doors to visitors on these days. Most restaurants throughout the region offer the popular St. Martin’s goose as a seasonal speciality. You can taste it also in Szombathely, where the St. Martin’s Weeks celebration takes place between 3 and 14 November. “We have been offering St. Martin's goose since 1962. You can enjoy the traditional preparation with dumplings and cabbage, but we also serve less common variations”, says Miroslav Husák, chef of the Best Western Premier Hotel International in Brno. Restaurants in Slovenský Grob, an original village situated in the Small Carpathians, will dish up goose with “lokše” (potato pancakes) and cabbage.

Venison is another typical speciality in autumn. This originated in the Middle Ages, when hunting was an established custom during autumn. Restaurants offer special menus of deer or pheasant. “People expect a wide choice of food on the list, but usually they choose the simplest or best-known local preparations,” says László Ervi, chef of one of the oldest restaurants in Győr. The autumn period is also characterised by the tastes of pumpkin and chestnut. October traditionally brings other attractions as well, such as the Stupava Cabbage Days.

In vino veritas

Many seasonal events are closely connected to young wine. “St. Martin’s goose menus used to be accompanied by the young French wine Beaujolais nouveau. But since we are in Moravia, which boasts excellent regional young wine as well, the National Wine Centre set up criteria for Saint Martin's wine in 2005,” says Miroslav Husák, chef of the Best Western Premier Hotel International in Brno. “White wine may be produced only from Müller Thurgau or Frühroter Veltliner grapes; rosé and red wines from Portugais Bleu or Saint Laurent. From this year on, it is possible to make white Saint Martin's Wine from Muscat grapes,” Mr. Husák adds.

The Small Carpathian Wine Route organises wine merchants, vinedressers, wine museums, accommodation, wine associations, wine cellars and others from Bratislava to Trnava. Wine and gastronomic specialty sampling from traditional ceramic kitchenware accompanied by folklore shows are part of the offer. 19 and 20 November are Open Cellar Days. Wine tasting in picturesque wine cellars is accompanied by culinary specialities or cultural programmes, and over one hundred cellars along the route from Bratislava to Trnava will be open for this event. The Záhorie Wine Route in the districts of Skalica, Senica and Malacky is organised in the same style. Wine is accompanied by “Skalický trdelník“, a typical sweet pastry.

Austrian wines rank among worldwide leaders, and the areas around Lake Neusiedl and along the Wachau Valley are two of the best-known wine regions of Europe. In autumn, not only winemakers but also numerous voluntary aides are busy harvesting the grapes. Wine lovers from all around the world flock to these regions in autumn to taste fine vintages on-site at wine cellar festivals, vineyard hikes, bicycle tours and numerous other celebrations embedded in regional traditions. Other pluses are an enticing gastronomy with wine events and "wine-culinary weeks".