I flew into Vienna to check the feasibility of a new publication and to visit the fabulous Austria winery Weingut Hiedler.

Not having been there for a few years, I was interested to learn how it has progressed. I found it to be refreshingly more open to change and this fact was borne out by the many renewed and brand new venues. I was particularly impressed with the new Museumsquartier, a collection of several museums & cultural institutions in a palacial complex behind the longstanding Kunsthistoriches and Naturhistorisches musuems. I enjoyed roaming around the 1st, 7th, 8th and 9th districts and made sure I took in Cafe Central, Cafe Sacher (with chocolate cake) and Demel. I was very impressed with the transformation all over the city. Whether a pool in a barge in the Danube Canal, the refurbished Urania planetarium with upscale restaurant, or the amazing new Meinl on Graben, which is now an upscale grocery shop, cafe and restaurant.

Vienna is a cool place. It has Internationalized quite a bit since my last visit and this is mostly a good thing. The Viennese people now consist of larger portions of ethnic diversity thus making the overall city a friendlier and more open place. There is much to do here... culture, opera, concerts, summer film festival, coffee, pastries, wine tasting, etc.

I took a side tour to Kamptal to visit a gorgeous Austrian winery near the end of my trip. Weingut Hiedler is located in Langenlois and produces some of the finest Grüner Veltliner and Riesling in the country. Ludwig and Maria-Angeles Hiedler were the perfect hosts as they welcomed me and gave me a tour of the winery and vineyards. These wines are amazing. I subsequently wrote an article about my visit to the winery here.