I’ll be heading to Gasthaus Waltz in Munich this September with some good friends, and I would like to treat them to a couple of interesting wines. Am thinking a german white and red for ~300 Euros total, however am open to other suggestions if something pops out at a solid price:
A lot of really good German choices on that list, with a nice diversity of styles, grapes and regions. I’m sure we could all list the wines we would choose, but that is no help to you. I think it all depends what styles/grapes/regions of German wine you (or your friends) want to drink.
So maybe that’s unhelpful. But it’s also another way of saying there are lots of great choices on there, so as long as you communicate your taste preferences (here or to the somm), I’m sure you’ll be fine.
2 Likes
Yeah nice list. No preponderance of super prestige super expensive bottles, but lots of things I’d enjoy drinking at fairly reasonable prices, also in Burgundy and the Jura. Mostly recent though.
1 Like
Thanks! Unfortunately I have little experience with German wine, especially any red. But generally have enjoyed all the riesling I have had and making it a goal to try to taste some examples before I leave.
1 Like
There are others with much more experience who will likely chime in here, but I would be looking at Huber or Wasenhaus. Specifically, the Huber Alte Reben Chardonnay and Spatburgunder and the Wasenhaus single vineyards could fit your brief.
1 Like
Where are you based? Lots of great German wines and decent prices but you can get the majority of them in the U.S. Two producers / wines I would highlight the Saalwachter Grauer Stein Silvaner is an absolutely stunning wine that is near impossible to find in the U.S. The other if you want to try something with age and to help you budget is one of the older Ludes. The Burgundies as is typical in German are priced so much better than in the U.S. I would definitely do one. If you do want to stay all German then I would choose Wasenhaus or Huber.
Excellent list!
2 Likes
I am based out of Philadelphia.
Will look into the Huber and Wasenhaus choices. I have had some silvaner from the Alsace but no experience with a german version, sounds interesting!
The Saalwachter Silvaner is a stunning, stunning wine! I asked where you are located because if you can get most of the German wines here you might want to factor that in.
The list has a really broad spectrum from natural to traditional, especially for riesling, but also for red wine. So make sure you speak with the server to know what you’re getting.
1 Like
makes perfect sense, will look at whats available here before committing to anything!
Rahsaan have a very valid point, even knowing what type of wines you like from other regions, or if you know what your friends like would be very helpful to give you better suggestion.
There are many very good wines at attractive prices from several countries and regions, even at the €55-65 level.
I think it would be wrong to not consider a K-P Keller wine (Hubacker, Kirschspiel) for dry Riesling. The prices, especially for a restaurant is very good. Or if you might enjoy a hint of perceived sweetness to kabinett sweet (Falkenstein -Kugel Peter or Gisela, or the somewhat sweeter Max Kilburg) - there are a lot of other good options! It will be be difficult to go wrong with the Rieslings as long as you have an idea of sweetness preference and it works with the food of course.
For me the Spätburgunders are more difficult to advise on as for Wasenhaus, it’s a bit natural leaning (is that appealing to your group?), and I haven’t tried many of the other - though would be curious to try a Jülg just because Lars keeps asking if any one tried then, heard good ting… and he has proven record for finding great winemakers.
I see tempting French wines but there are others here who knows plenty more, however among the Italian wines you have great options as well: Roagna (Rosso or Faset/Pira with age), Burlotto, Sandri (Barolos)…
Depending on how you want to allocate the up to around €300, you have plenty of great options!
2 Likes
thanks all for the great commentary! Lots to think on here but I am excited, I will have to report back after the fact
Whoever put that list together really knows what they are doing so don’t hesitate to consult the somm pre dinner or during.
1 Like
Not German, Austrian: Ernst Triebaumer Blaufränkisch Mariental is a great wine. The 2013 is a great vintage in Austria. That would be my red.
For white, I like the suggestion of older Ludes.
1 Like
The proprietors of Gasthaus Waltz, located in Munich, are the Austrian sommeliers Markus Hirschler and Stefan Grabler. Although I have never been there before, the restaurant looks excellent.
Looking at the Waltz wine list, I’d probably go for a bottle of red from Wasenhaus with a budget of 300 euros. This would leave you with at least 150 euros to spend on a German white wine.
I’d be tempted to have a French red from either Pierre Gonon or Yvon Métras.
Hofgut Falkenstein is imported to Pennsylvania by MFW Wine Co. I don’t know what’s available in Philadelphia at the moment, but the 2025s are expected to arrive in a month or so.
Thanks for the recommendations. It looks like Flatiron in NYC has a couple different Falkenstein bottlings so perhaps I will order some from there. I have yet to find a competitive retailer with a good selection in the area for bottles like that, sadly
1 Like
My pleasure. Yes, I noticed that Flatiron in NYC has recently offered a selection of back-vintage wines from Falkenstein, most likely sourced from a private collection.
Had an excellent meal there two years ago - put your faith in the somm, and I thought the Austrian section had a lot more interesting things that you wouldn’t be likely to find in the states
1 Like
If you’re not sticking to German white and red, I’d probably go with another country for red as some others suggested. Wasenhaus is a bit natural leaning and depending on site and vintage, their whole cluster funk is rather obvious. If that’s your and your friends’ kind of wine, it may be good to try.
My experience with other German red producers on the list is limited, so I’d stop here. But for good price in other regions, I’d consider Burlotto although they’re young.
For German white, the selection is very good, and the only issue is they’re pretty young. But I’d consider:
- Keller Hubacker 20: had 19 recently and if was wide open and delicious, so hopefully 20 is good to go too
- Peter Jokob Kuhn Jungfer 19: had their 23 at the winery recently too and it was phenomenal but was too young. I’m unsure how 19 is doing now, but raw material is really up there with other top German names imo
I really like Dr Burklin-Wolf and their price, but my impression is that their wine particularly needs time.
For off dry white, Kilberg, Falkenstein and Grunhaus are good places to start, and I’m less worried about drinking these fresher Kabinett young. If you like richer old school style, perhaps Prum.
2 Likes