Last year we visited the wine region in Styria a couple of times and over the weekend we decided to re-visit the lovely Buschenschank of Toni Peter.
Now you would think with two first names that he would be a male hairdresser but this lovely gentleman had been running his independent vineyard and restaurant his whole life and we were looking forward to having a meal there finally as last year we were unable due to parties going on. But this time we had no luck either as it was closed. He had just retired!
After arriving and talking to him we found out that he had rented the property out to new landlords who would re-open in a month or two and that he and his wife and their 2 cats would be taking his campervan on an extended tour of Kazakstan! But he very kindly let us park-up for the weekend free of charge although we did buy 3 bottles of wine from him.
The Friday afternoon we arrived was the summer Solstice, the longest day, and also world Naked hiking day! so we took advantage of the very nice weather to take a walk through the quiet vineyards and forest behind the park-up. We were alone there for the whole weekend and enjoyed the complete peace that this area gives you with amazing sunrises each day, long bike rides through the vineyards, and evening meals with a view over the countryside.
We hope that the new owners will keep the camper van pitches available and put as much effort into the quality of them as fellow traveller Peter Toni has done over the years. If you find yourself in this region of Austria we fully recommend taking a few days to explore this beautiful corner of Styria. There are many alternate Buschenschanks that offer free or cheap parking with incredible views and fresh, local, food and wine.
Enjoy your retirement and travels Toni Peter!
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