01 - Overview
A tasting loop through the Retzer Land: a 56 km circuit from Retz through the quiet Pulkau valley, past cellar lanes, loess terraces and the vineyards that are the home of Weinviertel DAC wine.
The Weinradroute Weinviertel DAC is the flagship tasting loop of the Retzer Land - not a long-distance trail but a compact day ride through the heart of Weinviertel wine culture. From Retz's grand Hauptplatz with its famous underground Erlebniskeller, the signed circuit runs through the Pulkau valley via Röschitz, Roseldorf, Zellerndorf and Pillersdorf and back. Gentle but noticeable hills link wine villages, cellar lanes and viewpoints; along the way Heuriger taverns invite you to taste the Grüner Veltliner with its characteristic peppery note. The loop is deliberately distinct - it runs through the inner wine country rather than along the Thaya/March border corridors of the Kamp-Thaya-March and Iron Curtain routes. With some farm-track sections and rolling terrain it is a sporty, indulgent ride rather than a family outing.
- Regions
- Lower Austria
- Start
- Retz
- Finish
- Retz
- Surface
- Paved
- Network
- Regional
- Best season
- April - October
- Signposting
- fully signposted
- Road-bike friendly
- Yes · Mostly pavedpartly estimated
99 % paved, longest unpaved stretch 536 m.
02 - Stages
4 stages · 56 km
01Retz - PulkauRetz · Unterretzbach · Obernalb · Waitzendorf · Pulkau15 km
The loop sets off from Retz's Hauptplatz - one of Austria's largest town squares, ringed by sgraffito burgher houses, a plague column and the entrance to the kilometre-long Erlebniskeller wine cellar. Past the Retz windmill it rolls south into the quiet Pulkau valley, between vine rows and apricot orchards to the wine village of Pulkau with its Romanesque charnel house.
- Ascent
- 146 m
- Descent
- 146 m
- Duration
- 1-1.5 hrs
- Surface
- Asphalt, farm tracks through the vineyards
Surface (measured): paved
02Pulkau - RöschitzPulkau · Rafing · Großreipersdorf · Röschitz12 km
Gently rolling, the route climbs the upper Pulkau valley via Rafing to Röschitz, one of the district's highest-lying wine villages. Here Grüner Veltliner ripens on primary rock - the geological switch from loess to crystalline soil that you can taste in the glass.
- Ascent
- 157 m
- Descent
- 150 m
- Duration
- 1 hr
- Surface
- Asphalt, short gravel sections
Surface (measured): paved
03Röschitz - ZellerndorfRöschitz · Roseldorf · Platt · Zellerndorf17 km
The heart of the ride: over Roseldorf, where the Sandberg tower stands above one of Central Europe's largest Celtic excavation sites, on to Zellerndorf and its mighty Maulavern cellar lane. Press-house after press-house cut into the loess - the quintessential Weinviertel Kellergasse scene.
- Ascent
- 101 m
- Descent
- 140 m
- Duration
- 1.5 hrs
- Surface
- Asphalt, farm and cellar-lane tracks
Surface (measured): paved
04Zellerndorf - RetzZellerndorf · Deinzendorf · Pillersdorf · Retz12 km
Via Pillersdorf and its Öhlberg cellar lane the loop closes back to Retz. Final vineyard slopes and cellar lanes line the way before the old-town towers reappear - time to taste a Weinviertel DAC where it grew.
- Ascent
- 138 m
- Descent
- 107 m
- Duration
- 45 min-1 hr
- Surface
- Asphalt, farm tracks
Surface (measured): paved
03 - Elevation
Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.
Elevation profile over 56 km. Ascent 502 m, descent 505 m. Lowest point 223 m, highest point 345 m.
Elevation from OSM geometry + Digital Terrain Model (DGM) Austria (10 m).
Hover the profile to see the point on the map - and vice versa.
04 - POIs & Services
- Retz Erlebniskeller wine cellar
- Retz Hauptplatz with sgraffito houses & plague column
- Retz windmill
- Charnel house & parish church, Pulkau
- Maulavern cellar lane
- Öhlberg cellar lane
- Sandberg Celtic site & lookout tower
- Weinviertel DAC - Grüner Veltliner with its peppery note
- Retz town museum (Bürgerspital)
Services along the route
- Heuriger & BuschenschankA dense network of winegrower taverns in Retz, Pulkau, Zellerndorf and the cellar lanes along the loop.
- Bike serviceBike shop with workshop and repair station in Retz; service points in the larger wine villages.
- E-bike chargingSeveral e-bike charging stations across the Retzer Land - handy for this hilly tasting loop.
- Drinking fountainsPublic drinking-water points in Retz and the Pulkau-valley villages.
Service points along the route
- Drinking water6
- Repair station1
- Bike shop1
- Charging station3
Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.
05 - Impressions
Wine-press houses and a wayside cross in the Maulavern cellar lane near Zellerndorf, looking out over the Weinviertel vineyards along the route.Photo: Kellergasse Maulavern bei Zellerndorf · Kellergassen Niederösterreich 2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0 A whitewashed press house on the Öhlberg cellar lane in Pillersdorf, whose track the wine cycle route follows through the Retz wine country.Photo: Kellergasse Öhlberg in Pillersdorf · Kellergassen Niederösterreich 2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0
06 - Public transit
- Retz (ÖBB Nordwestbahn / REX)Hourly regional expresses from Vienna (Praterstern/Floridsdorf) reach Retz in about 1¼ hrs, with bike carriage - the natural start and finish station of the loop.
- Reblaus ExpressHeritage excursion train with a bike wagon from Retz through the Pulkau valley towards Drosendorf (seasonal, weekends/holidays).
- Zellerndorf · Platt (Pulkautal line)Stops on the Pulkautal railway for shortening or extending the loop.
Retz is the ideal base: reachable hourly by regional express from Vienna (bikes carried), with the station right at the edge of the old town. Within the ride the loop can be shortened at the Pulkautal-railway stops of Zellerndorf and Platt.
07 - GPX & TCX download
Download for GPS devices & apps
Clean track with elevation - imports as a single tour, compatible with Komoot, Garmin, Wahoo, Strava, RideWithGPS, OsmAnd.
Download stages individually (4)
Route derived from OpenStreetMap geometry - may differ slightly from on-the-ground signage. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0) · Elevation © DGM Austria (CC BY 3.0 AT). Redistribute with attribution.