The wine cellar alleys of Hadres – a subterranean world with a Weinviertel attitude to life

In the 17th century, there was no ubiquitous existence of wine cellar alleys, although the oldest cellars in the Weinviertel sprung up during that period. Wine cellar alleys were constructed in particular after the freeing of farmers in 1848. They were preferably constructed in the vicinity of vineyards, in order to facilitate the shortest path possible. In general, the cellars were constructed in the loess of vineyards or dug into the sidewalls of sunken paths. The wine cellar served as a storage place for wine, and grapes were processed in the wine presses located just above.

As of the 1950s, wine production was modernized, which also meant that the wine presses lost their original function. In the Weinviertel today there are 1,100 wine cellar alleys, and six of them are in Hadres. The Hadres wine cellar alley is 1.6 km long and has 400 wine press houses, which makes it the longest wine press alley in Europe.

The writer Alfred Komarek has turned the wine cellar alleys into a literary monument through his novels, featuring also the cyclist criminal investigator Simon Polt. For the writer, the residents of the wine cellar alleys are a reflection of the modest Weinviertel landscape with its wine cellars, as if frozen in time. The lavishness of the vintners was already celebrated in 1912 by the writer Johann Peter in his portrayals: ‘What the vintner has, the guest should also enjoy’ … such as for instance the traditional ‘Köllagatsch’: meal leftovers are combined in a ‘leftovers spread’.