Greek wines continue to make headway in a most impressive way. Last week I had an appointment at one of Germany’s most highly regarded gourmet restaurants, the Restaurant Bareiss in the Black Forest. It is one of nine establishments in Germany that carries three Michelin stars. The Michelin Guide also highlights their wine list as offering an especially attractive choice.
I had the pleasure of showing a selection of my portfolio that I carry via 600bottles to the well-known Sommelier Juergen Fendt. Many critics regard Herr Fendt as the best German Sommelier. It goes without saying that he is extremely knowledgeable; I certainly enjoyed his comments and also learned some important lessons on how a top Sommelier selects wines.
We tasted 7 wines from 5 producers, including indigenous and international varieties, covering the regions of Drama, Naoussa, Peloponnese, Santorini and Crete. Herr Fendt commented that the wines presented will fit very well into their wine list, and that all are well priced. He decided to include 6 wines from the spring of 2011 onwards. Diners will be able to enjoy wines from Pavlidis, Thimiopoulos, Tetramythos, Gaia and Manousakis at one of the finest and most prestigious restaurants in Germany. On offer will be a blend of Agiorgitiko/Syrah, as well as the 100% varietals Xinomavro, Roditis, Assyrtiko, Syrah and Roussanne. As far as I know, this the first time ever that such a great selection of fine Greek wines will be included in the wine list of a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars in Germany.
I am truly delighted by this development, as it is a recognition of the work and progress that Greek wineries have made in recent years. I am lucky to call these winemakers my friends and I congratulate them on this great result! I am also very impressed by Herr Fendt, he is clearly a professional that is open-minded and is not afraid to embrace change.
Great news and – well done!
Congrats Markus! I know how hard you have worked and what a big achievement this is for you. I am headed that way next summer. Perhaps I will stop by and enjoy one of these wines. Cheers!
Jason, thanks very much for your kind words. It would be awesome to meet you there next summer, I am quite often in Germany and would really make an effort to meet you in real life! The Black Forest area is stunning, the restaurant belongs to the Bareiss Hotel – an oasis!
Congratulations! This might be a crucial action in presenting Greek wines to a (still) sceptic professional wine audience. Now all we need is a comprehensive, handy Greek wineguide. I’m working on it…….
Cornelius, thank you, I agree with you. And best wishes for your Greek wineguide!
Excellent news and well done :)
It would be interesting to have some insight on their pricing policy in order to compare it with Greek restaurants.
(I don’t want to be mean or anything but I suspect they will be cheaper in Germany…)
Kosta, once they list the wines, this info should be available, I try and update then.
Dear ALL,
Maybe, I am not THE Connoisseur regarding wine, BUT I know that Greek wines are among the finest around the globe.
Cornelius, I will try to include your guide into mdc-travel as soon it is available.
Kostas, maybe due to the “crisis” lately, wines at Greek restaurants droped prices.
Dear Kees, Thank you for your update on Greek wines, they deserve it.
Keep on
That’s great news! I have always said that Greek wines are very food friendly and that this might be a way to enter the consciousness of foreign wine lovers. You’ll remember my surprise at seeing Spiropoulos’s Moschofilero at a NYC DIm Sum restaurant. I will try and find a London retaurant wine list that had a selection of Greek wines. As for 3 star Michelin restaurants, this Summer I had a very nice dinner at La Pergola in Rome and there amongst many well known gems of the global vineyard I saw a Samos dessert wine in their wine list.. I too would be interested in the Bareiss’s mark up on these wines.
I don’t want to bore you or other readers with my fixation on prices BUT mark ups at many restaurants here do noone any favours (apart from the greed / shortsightedness of the restaurants’ owners) – one example being €70 for Gerovassiliou’s Fume at a Vouliagmeni fish retsaurant. Indeed I would even stretch this to the pricing policy of many wineries – I love Alpha Estate but would not order it at a restaurant – unless on an expense account ;-)…
Kosta, thank you! Indeed Greek wines are extremely food friendly, a fact that many people are still unaware of. I am hopeful that the inclusion of the wines in Restaurant Bareiss will help to raise this awareness. It is one of the finest and best known Gourmet Restaurants in Germany, and they certainly would not take on these wines if they were not 100% convinced of the fit.
Thank you Ilia, I will certainly continue with my efforts, I am patient ;)
Excellent job Markus,congratulations!!!
Bravo,keep going like that
Thank you Alex, this means a lot coming from you! I will most certainly put in all my effort to continue my work.
Congratulations Markus! Hard work pays off! :-)
We are looking forward to hearing more such good news. And yes, I would be very curious to hear about their pricing at such a prestigious restaurant.
Keep it up!!
Greece in general boasts an extensive roster of popular wines that features classic wines from Nemea, Pelopponese and other famous regions in the southern part of the country. These wonderful wines feature grapes grown in salty seaside air on mountain slopes. The best Greek wines are made of different Greek grape varieties such as mavrodaphne, moschofilero, agiorgitiko, assyrtiko, moscato and xinomavro and you can sample them in restaurants like Niko’s where the management goes to the trouble of collecting the very best Greek Wines possible.
re. my comment way up the list I am headed that way in August 2011 but just checked the map and it seems I will be farther away than expected as I am visiting my sister-in-law and nephews in Fischbachau. Where is your home base in Germany?
Jason, let’s talk again when the date draws closer. I typically start my own travels in Germany from the Frankfurt area.
Greek food offers something for everyone. It is also a very healthy cuisine, mostly because of the liberal amounts of olive oil in it. People in Greece, who eat a traditional Greek diet, have been known to live on average quite a bit longer than inhabitants of other countries. Greek food is tasty and good for your health and you won’t find a better combination than that.