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Alexander van Dülmen

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Asador Guetaria, Bar and Restaurant, Bilbao

Asador Guetaria, Bar and Restaurant, Bilbao, Spain

4,5 points

This place needs getting used to it. The first impression while you enter the location is that you think you are in a fast food kind of bar but certainly not in a restaurant. The real restaurant is in the back! On the way to it you’ll pass the grill station and confidence will return that you made the right choice. The BBQ is huge, hot and at the moment we came along covered by big pieces of meat and some fish. Very alluring.

comedor-principal-restaurante-getariaThe guest room is rather traditional. Unfortunately the main guest room has no window, as far as I could oversee it there wasn’t any access to fresh air. The manager of the restaurant wore a light blue jacket, his tie also colorful but suitable – all together the expression of a special character. Either it is a part of Basque mentality to remain rather reserved or just the style of the restaurant as there remained a strange and incomprehensible distance among service and guest.

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d´Arenberg, The Dead Arm, Shiraz, 2005

d´Arenberg, The Dead Arm, Shiraz, 2005, McLaren Vale, red-wine from Australia

6 points

“The Dead Arm” Shiraz is one flagship of Southern Australian winemaker d’Arenberg. Following the description of the vinery then “Dead Arm is a vine disease caused by the fungus Eutypa Lata that randomly affects vineyards all over the world. Often vines affected are severely pruned or replanted. d’Arenberg believes that this is a natural part of vineyard life. One half, or arm of the vine slowly becomes reduced to dead wood. That side may be lifeless and brittle, but the grapes on the other side display amazing intensity”.

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Holger Koch, Pinot Noir ***, 2010

Holger Koch, Pinot Noir *** Selection, Großes Gewächs, Red-wine from Germany

6 points

The variety of Pinot Noir or Spätburgunder as it is called in German is pretty huge. Within Germany I wouldn’t call the differences extreme as there is some kind of characteristics of German Spätburgunder due to weather conditions but also the tradition of winemaking. This said there are clear distinctions among wines from wine areas as Ahr, Pfalz, Wüttemberg or Baden. So far I haven’t written about the wine area of Baden, not only because I actually never have been there. My first German red-wines always came from this area; probably the best know vineyards are called Kaiserstuhl. Kaiserstuhl isn’t one hill but small mountains in the very southern west of Germany. The name was given because German King Otto III held a tribunal at Dec 22nd 994 close to Sasbach which is a smaller village at the bottom of the Kaiserstuhl. These mountains are volcanic genesis which explains the very special soil of this area. Aside of this, it is one of the warmest and mildest areas of Germany.

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Domaine de l´Horizon, Rouge, Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes, 2009

Domaine de l´Horizon, Rouge, Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes, 2009, Red wine from France

6,5 points

This is probably the only French wine which is sold more in Germany than in France. For example there are two wine stores in Berlin but only one in Paris where you can buy this delicious wine.

The reason is rather easy. Domaine de l´Horizon was initiated by German oenologist Thomas Treibert. Today it is owned by German wine trading family Christ and him. The vineyards according to their webpage are between 40 and even 100 years old. They produce a clear amount of wines: two white and red ones and one rosé.

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15 East, Restaurant, New York

15 East, Japanese Restaurant, New York, USA

7,5 points

Once a while ago introduced by my friend David L. Molner I discovered one of my absolute favored restaurants in the world: 15 East! The name is the address: 15 East, Manhatten.

Although you can find reviews about Sushi restaurants time by time at this blog, (https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/06/12/nobo-budapest/) Japanese cuisine – sushi, sashimi etc. – is usually not my most preferred food. It is always a very welcomed alternative as it is fresh, in certain regards light and probably healthier than much other stuff. The most problematic aspect about this food is that it needs to be fresh and it – let’s be honest – needs people who are ready to pay decent amounts of money for it. Both aspects are probably the reason why we can’t find too many really excellent Japanese Restaurants in Europe (in particular Germany) comparing to USA.

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St. Andrea, Örökke, Egri Féher, 2008

St. Andrea, Örökke, Egri Feher, 2008, White-wine from Hungary

7 points

St. Andrea as I already wrote once is one of the most interesting and definite best wineries in Hungary.  It is located at the edge of Egerszalók which is a village in the heart of the Hungarian wine area Eger. The person behind of all is even a “doctor”. Dr. Lörincz György. Usually I do not believe too much in Hungarian white wines although there are of course some exceptions. Not really surprising that one of this exception is a wine of the vinery St. Andrea. The (success) story of St. Andrea is quite impressive: nowadays they husband nine vineyards and with 17 different sorts of vines.

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Jacobs & Co, Steakhouse, Toronto

Jacobs & Co, Steakhouse, Toronto, Canada

7 points

My favored steakhouse in Toronto always has been Barberian’s (http://www.barberians.com/). Not only because of its great name, but because of some very good steaks, great wines and some personal stories which are related strongly to this place. Everything I thought is more or less unique as for instance the impressive huge wine selection and of course the meat. But, I need to be honest; the Barberian is a very vintage and even conservative place.

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Joseph Drouhin, Laforet, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 2005

Joseph Drouhin, Laforet, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 2005, Red-wine from France

3 points

Even though after I opened it two days ago it didn’t become an exceptional experience drinking this Pinot Noir of Joseph Drouhin.

First of all it surprisingly young, fresh and very straight forward. Secondly it is really dry and without some extravagancies. I read somewhere that the wine is fruity, but I would disagree. Obvious fruity notes as raspberry and red currant but there isn’t anything too dominant. It’s likeable that the wine is light, negligible tannins but still – considering missing character – balanced. A little bit smoky and with some memories of leather, that what comes along as well.

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A.J. Adam, Hofberg Auslese, 2013

A.J. Adam, Dhroner Hofberg, Riesling Auslese, 2013, White-wine from Germany

7,5 points

„Deutscher Prädikatswein“ – what a German word! But if you, dear reader, see this and you are not a German wine expert then you can for sure expect best quality. This is top-level of German wines. Prädikatswein range from dry to intensely sweet, but unless it is specifically indicated that the wine is dry or off-dry as these wines always have noticeably mounts of residual sugar. As you have in some other countries other categorizations respectively classification. You could read much more about it at Wikipedia if you look for German wine classifications: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_wine_classification).

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Newton, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012

Cabernet Sauvignon, Newton, 2012, Red-wine from USA

5 points

Out of three categories of vinery Newton there are two wines belong to the “red” line, which is actually the affordable one (or the lowest one). Probably Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most present red sorts of wine at California. In my point of view the most relevant is Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa County or any other Northern Californian wine area provides appropriate soil and weather conditions for all mentioned sorts of wine for sure, but if I consider how hot it can become in these areas I guess Cabernet Sauvignon is very appropriate.

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Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restaurant, Berlin

Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restaurant, Berlin, Germany

6,5 points

It took me a while upon this review. I slowly got my thoughts and impression into something you can read: My master of wine – Billy Wagner – and his partner Micha Schäffer succeeded generating a remarkably positive hype about their new restaurant called Nobelhart & Schmutzig. Not everyone has expected this as it is an unorthodox but dogmatic concept which they are following. Without real compromises, the sitting arrangement, the way of cooking and obviously the selection of wine is unique in Berlin! It takes you almost your breath when you get into the place first time so inspiring and even for Berlin standards unconventional it is. Some critics already wrote that it nuts to need ringing the bell to get access to restaurant as the door is locked. This indeed is pretty seldom in Berlin but probably also a concession to the interior because a wall between entrance and the sitting areas provide snugness for those who otherwise would have the door in their back. 28 seats along a three side counter which goes around an open kitchen and the bar. 14 seats on big table. Cool music out of gramophone records…

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Norman Hardie, Pinot Noir Unfiltered, 2011

Norman Hardie, Pinot Noir Unfiltered, 2011, Wellington, Red-wine from Canada

4,5 points

Canada and red-wine? I would not mind if someone says this doesn’t work. And in those cases I tried reds from Canada before it was – let’s say it friendly – ambitious. Out of curiosity I recently bought two different Pinot Noir of Canadian winemaker Norman Hardie.

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