September in Vienna is a month with Most & Sturm

If you are lucky and visit Vienna during September or October you might want to experience some very local tradition.

During those months the grapes growing around Vienna's vineyards enter their last days of existence.

They are picked by hand and pressed and as a result you will have a delicious Most. 

This word derives from the latin MUSTUM, meaning young wine. 

As this young wine consists of natural yeast, a chemical process starts, depending on the storage temperature, quicker or controlled and slower (eg in the fridge)

Glucose and fructose are seperated into alcohol and carbonic acid. The result is a sweet, slightly alcoholic and sparkling grape juice, with yeast particles and therefore cloudy

As soon as the alcohol indicates to be at 1% this easy-to-drink-juice becomes a Sturm. You will notice that the alcohol raises quickly to 4%. This is the moment, where Sturm is allowed to be sold in Austria.

The sweetness makes place the alcohol and now it is not only a healthy beverage, but also an alcoholic one. The alcohol will continue to raise and reaching the 11%mark indicates the start of wine production.

The word Sturm (exact translation mean storm) describes the cloudy yeast particles which have a constact chemical reaction if you storage the beverage in a warm place. Therefore never ever close a bottle of Sturm! It will explode within some hours!

Enjoy the Most or Sturm with good, traditional viennese food - visit a vineyard around Vienna to experience these unique feeling of a fresh and healthy, natural drink!

If you explore Austria's countryside we highly recommend Styria in this time of the year. Wine lovers will enjoy the vineyards and the different tastes of the new wines!