Cooking Class and Wine

There is a famous chef in the region. Our host, Toni Mörwald is on the right. Wine maker Florian Bauer on the left. We met Josef Bauer at a tasting in D.C. He was a delightful fellow we chatted with for a long time. With Florian now in charge, today he's consigned his father to working in the vineyard while he has the easy job of serving us wine throughout the event.

We are treated to a cooking 'class' at his restaurant. The class quickly turns into a kitchen full of new amateur chefs. We split into teams. Carol is on the pastry team making apple strudel. CJ and Ed are pounding down veal for use in wiener Schinzel.

Klaus and chef.

The breading the schnitty assembly line. Ed joined the line to ensure our good work at pounding down the veal loins was properly transformed.

The pastry chefs get the cooler area. The rest of us labor in a hot kitchen. Following the cooking, we dine on our creations to several Florian Bauer wines.

CJ gets to this point before his back forces him to abandon the tour of Grafenegg Castle. He didn't miss much. We toured this castle in 2019 on the Danube cruise with Tauck and Klaus.

On the grounds of the castle, Austria's version of Wolf Trap, the American outdoor concert hall in Northern Virginia.

The entrance to Old Town Krems.

Another example of CJ's lifelong battle with the word 'moderation'; a liter stein of dunkel.

While the group is being given a guided tour of Krems, we spend two hours watching what can best be described as "how many Austrian's does it take to change a lightbulb" OR "The Keystone Cops meet the Three Stooges." Nine men are debating and attempting to do something. After watching them for two hours and laughing ourselves silly as they move furniture, plants, have doors bang up against things they've moved in front of the door and seemingly being content with their labors, about five different times, we depart having NO IDEA what they were attempting to accomplish.

After a long day, dinner is another wine tasting dinner at Müller-Grossmann. Our host is Marlies Heuriger "assisted" by her children and husband. At least six wines are served with dinner.