Night of the Open Cellars Nußdorf

Tasting in the Wine Cellar

What takes place in the courtyards in spring during the vintage presentation moves downstairs into the cellars on this evening. The vintners welcome their guests among stainless steel tanks, wooden barrels, presses, and bottling lines. Wine bottles are placed on barrels, and small tasting glasses are filled directly at the tank. The change of location creates a different relationship between guest, wine, and vintner.

Insights into Winemaking

Many visitors use the evening to have the vintners explain how wine is made from the grape. Which tanks serve which purpose? How does stainless steel aging differ from maturation in large wooden barrels? When is bâtonnage useful? These technical discussions are difficult to have during the hustle and bustle of a typical Kerwe (church consecration festival) and are central to the Night of the Open Cellars.

Spread Across Several Wineries

The participating wineries are spread throughout the village center of Nußdorf. Visitors walk from one establishment to the next, creating their own personalized tour. The short distances make it easy to visit several cellars throughout the evening and compare different styles.

Late Summer and Harvest Season

The date in early October falls right in the middle of the harvest season. Many cellars are full of freshly harvested grapes of the new vintage; must is fermenting in tanks, and the first stages of winemaking are underway. The Night of the Open Cellars thus offers not only a tasting but also a rare glimpse into the wine's creation in progress.

Complementing the Nußdorf Festival Calendar

With the Night of the Open Cellars, the Nußdorf festival calendar concludes the series of vintage presentations in early summer, the wine Kerwe (church consecration festival) at the end of July, and the farmhouse festival at the end of August. For years, it has been one of the events that sharpen the profile of this wine-growing village.