I recently visited the restaurant „Zeik" by Maurizio Oster in Hamburg and enjoyed a fantastic evening of several beautiful and delicious courses. The wine accompaniment was great: beautifully harmonising with all courses and some fantastic new discoveries. All of these bottles are available for below 20€ – with the exception of the Derthona Timorasso which retails for about 25€.
- Reyter Lakrez Vino Rosso (Lagrein) 2018, South Tyrol
Paired with a beetroot dish and an ice cream of Japanese Mizuna cabbage. A beautiful rosé of Lagrein, a grape variety that I hadn't trief before.
Very serious and powerful, herbal and structured rose with slight barnyard funk that quickly fades.
- Mario Zelt Riesling Goldberg 2012, Pfalz
I very much like aged Riesling, and this went well with a very umami-centred carrot-course, bright and singing acidity, well integrated and a lot of stone fruit.
- Bicking & Bicking Cuvée Blanc 2018, Nahe
A cuvée of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, a lot of lemon zest, but overall the least memorable wine of the evening. It went well together with white asparagus and lardo.
- Vigneti Walter Massa Derthona Timorasso 2023, Piemonte
My absolute favourite white wine of the night:
Strong, strong notes of quince and pear. Great minerality and beautifully balanced acidity. This went really well with a pickled chard in a smoky reduction and a fresh and uplifting char tatar with fried buckwheat and chives.
- Arndt F. Werner Ingelheimer Frühburgunder 2021, Rheinhessen
Nice and grippy cherry fruit, good acidity. Paired well with a selection of small lamb dishes: lamb shoulder brioches, lamb taco with hulk sauce, glazed lamb belly, lamb broth and lamb skewers of liver and filet. Great combination!
- Holger Koch Pinot Noir Bickensohler Herrenstück
2023, Baden
A very fruit-forward but serious Pinot Noir from Baden, I don t remember each nuance, but I found this to be a perfect pairing with another lamb course. There's just something about the combination of the delicate lamb flavour and a strong jus with a Frühburgunder or Spätburgunder/ Pinot Noir and their relatively present acidity, herbal notes and bright red fruit, most prominently cherry.
Lovely.
- Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Kabinett „Hommage a Luise" 2022, Pfalz
A decent and well drinking typical Kabinett, nicely paired with a complex rhubarb dessert, my first Burk!In Wolf, but this wine is probably not representative of the much higher priced wines of the very much "hyped" domaine. I'll eventually give these higher appellations a try. Nonetheless, a nice Kabinett from the Pfalz!
That sums up my wine experiences from that night's restaurant visit. I am again happy to have confirmation that special, memorable and wonderful wines are to be found also within a price range of 12-20€. It's an exciting hunt to find these sometimes more, sometimes less hidden gems.
by LeoCappuccino