"Excellent wine concept 2024" awarded

MAINZ. Visibility is on the rise! More and more restaurants, from hip wine bars to three-star gourmet temples, are displaying the brass sign at their entrance with the inscription "Excellent wine concept". The VDP eagle on the plaque guarantees that guests can expect an outstanding selection of German wines in this restaurant. And the name meiningers sommelier guarantees that a person who understands their craft and is passionate about their profession is responsible for advising and looking after guests when it comes to wine and drinks. This year, more than 70 entries were submitted from Germany and abroad. Following their introduction three years ago, the elegant brass plates are already considered an accolade in the catering world when it comes to wine culture. Who has the most exciting wine lists and can look forward to receiving an award?

• Special International Award: Alf Wimmer, Restaurant Amador in Vienna: Let's start abroad. Three wine lists from Austria and Switzerland offered an outstanding selection of German wines. We could have asked all three sommelières or sommeliers to take the stage as international ambassadors of top German wine with a clear conscience. But one stood out in terms of scope and depth: almost 300 German wines from 41 producers, right in the middle of Vienna's vineyards. Compiled by a sommelier with experience of Germany, in the restaurant of the German chef who was the first and so far only person to bring the coveted three stars to Austria: We are of course talking about Juan Amador and Alf Wimmer, who is responsible for compiling and maintaining the wine selection, even though he has since handed over the evening service to Adam Bencze, who acts as sommelier in the restaurant. The fourth member of the team is still missing: the owner of the restaurant and figurehead of the Viennese winegrowing community Fritz Wieninger.
• Ben Birkholz, Restaurant Jörg Müller on Sylt: With so many applications, the jury really didn't have an easy choice. They had never had such a long and intensive discussion before. The wine selection is too outstanding. Impressive in terms of vintage depth and breadth. The concept sounds simple: "Serve the best possible wines competently and ready to drink." There is not much to add. Except to point out its justified reputation as one of the nation's wine lighthouses. In this role, Restaurant Jörg Müller is by no means limited to German wines. On the contrary. The first thing that springs to mind is Bordeaux or champagne, complemented by classics from all over the world. And yet the range of German Riesling, Pinot Noir and co. is beyond reproach. Incidentally, the wines on offer are actually ready to drink: HERMANNSHÖHLE from 2011 to 2015 or MORSTEIN from 2010 to 2015. Virtually no wine is younger than 2020. Benjamin Birkholz's reputation as host and sommelier of this Sylt institution of pleasure is just as excellent.
• Anna Rupprecht, Restaurant Storstad in Regensburg: Our next award winner graced the cover of issue 4/2023 of meiningers sommelier. Strictly speaking, she is not only the sommelier at Restaurant Storstad, literally above the rooftops of Regensburg, but is also responsible for the wine selection at the Japanese restaurant Aska and the stylish wine bar Tipsy. What fascinates Anna Rupprecht about German wine is the diversity of regions with their respective terroirs and grape varieties. She reflects this in the wine list without her menu appearing overloaded. The top sommelier has deliberately selected those wineries from the growing regions that she believes best convey the character of the region. Although there are only a few vintages, this fits in very well with Anton Schmaus' urban catering concept. As a result, the wine list appears very tidy and clear, and it testifies to the justified self-confidence of one of Germany's best sommelières.
• Florian Richter, Kronenschlösschen in Hattenheim: The wine list of the following excellent wine concept is, at least visually, pretty much the exact opposite of Anna Rupprecht's menu. Written in small print and sometimes in two columns, it accommodates an incredible abundance of wines in great vintage depth on around 100 pages. The selection is all the more impressive, a paradise for wine lovers in search of rarities, with an impressive depth of vintage for numerous wines dating back to the 20th century. A wine-cultural institution similar to Jörg Müller on Sylt. Only based in the Rheingau. Accordingly, the home region also takes up the most space among the German wine-growing regions, but also leaves enough room for its neighbours from Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz or Baden with their respective strengths to represent German wine in all its facets in a worthy manner. There is not the slightest doubt about the competence and expertise of the head sommelier. After all, Florian Richter is the reigning winner of the Sommelier Trophy 2023, exactly ten years after he secured the title of young sommelier with us.
• Martin Pichel, Matthias Koll, Hotel Jagdhof in Röhrnbach: Another award winner is the Hotel Jagdhof in Lower Bavaria, not far from Passau. The jury was astonished by the depth and breadth of the selection of top German wines, some of which come from a remarkable depth of up to ten vintages and at astonishingly favourable prices, in some cases well under 100 euros, plus an astonishing number of large formats. In short, the menu is quite simply spectacular. And it is looked after by a sommelier duo: Martin Pichel and Matthias Koll.
• Claudius Unger, Blauer Engel, Aue: There are many a great wine list that flourishes almost in obscurity. One such case is the Hotel Blauer Engel, although it has been in continuous operation as a hotel and restaurant since 1663. The fact that this impressive wine selection has so far flown somewhat under the radar could also have something to do with its location in the beautiful Ore Mountains, far off the beaten track. Wine yeasts are even used to brew beer in the brewery's own restaurant, which is part of the catering offer. In the St. Andreas restaurant, which has just been awarded a Michelin star, wine clearly plays the main role. Claudius Unger is responsible for the wine selection. His family has owned the Blauer Engel since 1990 and the sommelier is keen to make both the inexperienced wine drinker and the connoisseur happy. The result of this endeavour is an extremely varied compilation, which in part roams loosely through all the wine-growing regions, but then places a strong accent here and there in the form of a deep and broad selection of individual wineries. The prices can be described as extremely attractive.
• Special Award Gastronomy + Trade Vinocentral in Darmstadt: This year, the VDP is once again awarding another plaque in a special category: Gastronomy plus Trade. Sounds so obvious and yet is so difficult to realise perfectly. The Vinocentral in Darmstadt is an absolute leader in this respect. Vinocentral has been combining wine and speciality retail with wine gastronomy for 30 years. The second generation has now joined the company. The wine team consists of six people, three of whom share the role of sommelier in purchasing, developing the wine list and advising guests: These are Geunhye Yook, Sebastian Fehlinger and Lasse Böckenhauer. With panini, focaccia, antipasti and the like, the food on offer is strongly reminiscent of Italian caffè bars, accompanied by 40 wines by the glass, or one of the 1,800 wines in the range for a corkage fee of 19 euros. Despite the Italian attitude to life, German wines play a major role. They come from 68 wineries from 12 regions. The rarities list with 375 items includes numerous mature VDP wines as well as wines from auctions. These wines are intended exclusively for enjoyment on site and attract wine lovers from the entire Rhine-Main region to Darmstadt.