Besides being the largest wine community in Austria, Gols is something very personal to me. It is the town where my family roots are planted among the vineyards. This spring, I enjoyed 1.5 days on my Gols, Austria family heritage travel quest. I discovered even more, that Gols is a wonderful getaway for tourists with its pristine vineyards, hiking and biking trails and the nearby Lake Neusiedl.
Gols, Burgenland
Gols is Austria’s largest wine-growing community. It’s in Burgenland, the easternmost and least populous state in the country. This state offers 300 days of sunshine per year. Gols lies on the eastern shores of the massive Lake Neusiedl, known as the “Sea of the Viennese.” The community spreads out on the southern slopes of the Parndorf Plateau.
Its beautiful landscape is one of the 4 wine-growing regions in Austria. The other regions are Wien (Vienna), Steiermark (Styria) and Burgenland is known for its red wines from the Blaufrankisch grapes. It also produces sweet wines, such as Trockenbeerenauslese. Overall, Burgenland is a popular tourist destination with good hospitality, food, wine, hiking, biking, kiting, sailing and windsurfing.
My Gols, Austria Family Heritage Travel
My great grandfather, John Wendelin, moved to America as a young man. He settled in Crete, Nebraska where he married my great grandmother. I grew up in the 70’s observing a decoupaged wall hanging with various Wendelin wine labels from Austria. I’ve been dreaming of going to these wineries for years. Finally, I took the journey to Gols and connected with my heritage in the pristine wine region of Burgenland.
From Vienna, I took the one-hour train ride to Gols. The train hummed along past hills painted with endless green rows of vineyards. The bright, red poppies sprinkled the ditches next to the tracks. Eagerly, I stepped out into the quiet train station, heading for my guest house at the Achs-Wendelin Winery in the town center.
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Gols Family Heritage Travel Highlights
Achs-Wendelin Weinlofts and Guesthouse
First, I check in at my Achs-Wendelin Guesthouse on Hauptzplatz 1 in the town center. Nearby is their Weinlofts. I chose this accommodation because it shares my last name. However, I discovered they were not related to my family. Also, this was a convenient location near the town center with a cozy room and gardens. The wine and grape juice tasting was especially nice.
Hauptz Platz (Main Square)
Next to the Achs-Wendelin Guesthouse is the Hauptzplatz or Main Square. Here, is a monument naming all the young men that died as soldiers in World War I. Numerous Wendelin men are memorialized here, but thankfully not my great grandfather.
WeinKultureHaus / Erwin Moser Museum / Tourist Information
While in the main square, an adorable French Bull dog approached me. Then, the owner walked up and I asked questions about Gols. I certainly asked the right person. This nice lady managed the WeinKultureHaus, that also offers tourist information.
Weinkulturhaus offers 120 wines from the region for wine-tasting. Also, they house the Erwin Moser Museum that celebrates this artist from Gols. As both a children’s book author and illustrator, he is most known for the book series Manuel & Didi. The WeinKulturHaus offers tourist information and maps on the Gols area. Additionally, it organizes Wine Hiking Trail Tours.
Wine Hiking Trail – Salzberg Vineyards
I took her advice and walked a loop in the vineyards on my own. From the roundabout near their site, I took a right on Neustiffgasse Road to the Goldbergstrada Road. From here, I took a right and walked the loop in the Salzberg area. Going left takes you on a longer loop throughout the Altenberg vineyards, which I didn’t have time to do.
My loop took about an hour, ending at the Allacher Winery. I stopped at a viewing platform and saw the massive Lake Neusiedl in the distance. Allacher had a sundowner event with winetasting, food and amazing views of the sunset.
Uncovering my Family Tree
After walking back from Allacher to my guesthouse, I stopped at the local cemetery near the town center. I just wandered there looking for Wendelin tombstones. There, I approached a man and his wife. When talking with the nice man, he said that he knew a woman most likely related to my family.
The next morning he contacted the owners of my guesthouse and arranged to meet with me. He shared with me my family tree charts dating back to the 1700’s. How fortuitous was that? Finding my Wendelin family roots in these Austrian vineyards was one of the highlights of my life. Part of me even wondered, maybe I should try to move here. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate full circle. At the very least, I will return to reconnect with my heritage and the lovely wine. Cheers to honoring our ancestors…
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