Victoria a d Marti Schierhuber at Heurige hof Brü dlmayer i La ge lois, Austria Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Makeup: Nóra Belovai There’s somethi g ge ui ely exciti g about the way Austria has sudde ly stepped i to the spotlight with the retur of the Micheli Guide. For early fiftee years, there was o real atio wide guide—just fragme ts: a bit of Vie a, a bit of Salzburg—while most of the cou try carried o quietly, doi g its thi g without much atte tio . The i 2024, Micheli retur ed, a d by Ja uary 2025 the full guide was out. By March 2026, 101 restaura ts held stars across Austria, i cludi g 4 with two stars a d 2 with three. But did a ythi g actually cha ge? Or are we o ly just starti g to otice? I arrived with questio s. They arrived with wi e. Everyo e did their job remarkably well. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Makeup: Nóra Belovai Good food gets your atte tio . Good people make you come back. Photo: Gergő Pejkó | Makeup: Nóra Belovai Why this place? Because Heurige hof Brü dlmayer is a precise reflectio of what Austria fi e di i g looks like today. It’s ot loud, ot overdesig ed. A d that’s exactly why it works. It simply fu ctio s—quietly, thoughtfully. This is ’t ew. It’s a level they’ve mai tai ed co siste tly for early twe ty years. Photos: Gergő Pejkó What is a Heuriger? Before goi g further, it’s worth clarifyi g o e thi g: a heuriger. Traditio ally, it’s a wi e taver where the producer serves their ow wi es alo gside simple food, a d you somehow e d up stayi g lo ger tha you pla ed. Heurige hof is the evolutio of that idea. It keeps the co ectio to the vi eyard, the terroir, a d the local experie ce—but moves beyo d it. You ca opt for a tasti g me u, have fried chicke , or order a pic ic-style jause. So what exactly is this place? That’s ki d of the poi t—you do ’t eed to defi e it. & bsp; Photos: Gergő Pejkó Where are we? I La ge lois, about a hour orthwest of Vie a, ot far from the Da ube. Cobblesto e streets, vi eyards all arou d, light, air, space. You arrive—a d the pace drops. Victoria, Marti a d Matthias “Welcome to Heurige hof Brü dlmayer i La ge lois,” say Victoria a d Marti Schierhuber. “Arou d twe ty years ago, I met Vi ce t Brü dlmayer, the so of wi emaker Willi Brü dlmayer,” Marti recalls. “After a tasti g, he showed me this place a d asked if we could imagi e ru i g it o e day. It was a simple questio , but o e that would cha ge everythi g” Photos: Gergő Pejkó What makes this restaura t special? “The i comparable a d u ique atmosphere,” Marti says. “Its the charm of the 16th ce tury buildi g that co ti ues to i spire us. & bsp;“For me, it’s the combi atio & bsp;of the e ergy i these old walls & bsp;a d the moder details ,” Victoria adds. “The sto e above us, the fireplace, the courtyard—a d the a moder kitche a d you g team.” There’s somethi g else that matters just as much: Victoria a d Marti did ’t just build this place together professio ally, but as a couple. “We’ve bee worki g together every day for more tha twe ty years,” Victoria says, the adds with a smile: “Ho estly, I do ’t eve k ow what it’s like ot to work with my husba d. Worki g together shapes everythi g a d you ca feel that special bo d of trust throughout the space” Photos: Gergő Pejkó The wi ery’s restaura t—or the restaura t’s wi ery Behi d it all is Wei gut Brü dlmayer, o e of Austria’s early pio eers of orga ic thi ki g. Here, cooki g does ’t adapt to the wi e after the fact—it evolves alo gside it. & bsp;“We build the dishes arou d the wi e,” Marti says. “We talk about structure, flavor, aromatics—a d develop the plates together with Matthias, our Head Chef.” It’s co sta tly shifti g. & bsp;“With every vi tage, ew dishes are created, because every year is differe t. The wi e expresses itself differe tly i the glass. So we keep movi g.” Photo: Gergő Pejkó The chef “I’m Matthias,” says Matthias Schütz, simply. Did the Micheli star cha ge a ythi g? & bsp;“Receivi g a Micheli Star this year, of course, was a very special mome t for me. Also & bsp;I got my first star i Fra ce 3 years ago, i Prove ce, i Sai t-Rémy-de-Prove ce.”Not because it cha ged my cooki g style, but because it affirmed the path, I've bee o with my team, a d the Heurige hof family.& bsp; Marti Schütz Photos: Gergő Pejkó So you do ’t cook differe tly ow? & bsp;“No.Ho estly, I'm happy to say that I've fou d my ow perso al cooki g style a d will stick to it for sure” What matters here is co siste cy i quality. & bsp;“We work together with local producers. Austria farmers.This is a true symbiosis I ca rely o , allowi g me to work with the best products every day” What are you most proud of? & bsp;“My team a d the motivatio they show me every day. For sure our guests, passi g through the regio a d we ofte read i reviews that their visit here became the culi ary highlight of their trip to Austria.” Photos: Gergő Pejkó A d the style? & bsp;“Classical cuisi e with a moder , creative approach.” The he adds: & bsp;“The most importa t thi g is the i gredie t. We pay atte tio to what comes i to the kitche . Sea fish obviously is ’t Austria , but we ever lose sight of local producers. A d everythi g is prese ted i a moder way.” Photos: Gergő Pejkó What is the simplest thi g here that still feels perfect? & bsp;Our grape seed bread for example, I would say it is just bread. But i our case we created this really u ique to start the me u. Crispy crust, flavorful dough, e ha ced with our house-made grape seed oil.& bsp; & bsp; A d the teamwork is simply perfect—the respectful i teractio amo g people with differe t perso alities really helps create a welcomi g atmosphere for our guests. Wi e—a d everythi g built arou d it People who came to celebrate, to e joy exceptio al wi es a d thoughtful cuisi e, to create mome ts that stay with them. What stays with someo e who visits just o ce? & bsp;“We welcome our guests & bsp;with a glass of Grü er Veltli er that represe ts the regio ,” Marti says. “They love that a d you ca create a mome t that stays with them from the begi i g o they arrive at our spot.” “Ma y of our guests retur agai a d agai . They come ot o ly for the quality, which they k ow they ca trust - but for the people, our team. They look forward to seei g us, our lo gsta di g team, a d experie ci g the familiar yet evolvi g.” Photo: Gergő Pejkó A d the there are the details A 16th-ce tury buildi g. A fireplace. Fur iture with history. Moder lighti g. O the table: Austria li e from Leit er Lei e , ca dles from a local maker, wi es served i Riedel deca ters. Every detail is i place—yet othi g feels forced. It's this combi atio that creates a depth you simply ca ´t replicate elsewhere.& bsp; A d you do ’t leave empty-ha ded: alo gside the wi es, you ca take home bottle stoppers, apricot jam & bsp;(grow i their ow apricot garde ) & bsp;a d a few other well-chose thi gs. Photo: Gergő Pejkó What are we actually seei g? What does Austria gastro omy look like today? & bsp;“It’s movi g i a very good directio ,” Marti says, smili g. “If you look closely, Austria is ow amo g Europe’s leadi g cou tries i the Micheli Guide. I some ways, eve more promi e tly tha Fra ce.” “A d the best part is that there is a ew ge eratio that respects traditio but is 't afraid of rei terpreti g it - a d that's where thi gs become truly i teresti g. I a way, that's exactly what we try to do here as well. ” Victoria adds. Photo: Gergő Pejkó