Six wine stores where the finest delights await you

Veni, vidi, vino

Wine is in season all year round - this is also true in the Altbier stronghold of Düsseldorf. In fact, no one here can complain about a lack of wine expertise. Not only because ProWein, the most important wine trade fair in the world, is held here once a year and always provides new inspiration. The list of experienced wine merchants who can offer you expert advice and an exquisite range is long. We have selected six points of contact for you that approach the complex subject of wine in a particularly creative and competent way.       

Vino Tinto & Friends

It's not a cliché, but a living culture: in Spain, you meet up with friends in your favorite bar after work and treat yourself to a few tapas and a glass of vino tinto. It was Spanish red wine that inspired Peter Heymanns to open his wine store on Bagelstraße over 20 years ago - an import of southern European joie de vivre that the Pempelfort neighborhood thanked him for throughout his life. After his untimely death, his wife Monica Heymanns continued to run Vino Tinto, supported by a number of regular customers, including the current managers Nicole Mathes-Kristiansen and Carsten Franck. Spanish quality wines are still a core competence, but that is by no means where the range ends: winemakers from all over the world are represented. Their products can also be tasted during wine tastings, as well as on Fridays and Saturdays in the small wine bar or on the terrace. The wine is accompanied by a selection of craft beers from micro-breweries and spirits from regional producers. What's more, if you want to celebrate alone with your friends at Vino Tinto & Friends, you can hire a room for events here.

anderweinig

With its listed buildings and owner-managed stores, Hohe Straße in Carlstadt is a very special shopping address, and Birgit Felzmann's wine store also benefits from this original Düsseldorf spirit. The business administration graduate has remained true to her favorite neighborhood and has set up her business near the place where it all began for her: Carlsplatz. It was there that Felzmann discovered her passion for dry French country wines back in the 1980s. Today, she also stocks wines from Spain, Italy, Hungary and Greece and, of course, Germany - at a very good price-performance ratio. The fact that "Frau anderweinig" now also offers three house wines is proof of the great wine knowledge that the holder of the "Diploma in Wine and Spirits" from the renowned London academy Wine & Spirit Education Trust possesses. If you would like to share in this knowledge, book one of her popular seminars. Particularly sparkling: "Mrs. anderweinig's ultimate champagne seminar". Chinchin!

Pipco's wine compilation

Yvonne Hoffmann also trained at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. In her wine shop in Düsseldorf-Friedrichstadt, however, things are more relaxed than academic. As soon as you look through the windows of the small store on the corner of Helmholtzstrasse and Bunsenstrasse, it becomes clear that nobody needs to be afraid of thresholds here. The furniture is vintage, the wines are presented in wooden crates that have been converted into wall shelves. There is a three-seater with cushions and a record player, and in the middle of the room is an old workbench that serves as a sideboard during tastings. Yvonne Hoffmann focuses on natural wines from Germany and Austria, but the range also includes French and Spanish wines. The sommelier knows many of the winemakers personally. If you are looking for above-average quality at fair prices, Pipco's is the right place for you. Hoffmann also brings her knowledge to the professionals: she advises restaurateurs on wine selection for the delicatessen Bos Food in Meerbusch.

Concept Riesling

We return to the Carlstadt district and turn our attention to its bustling center: Carlsplatz. Here, a small wine bar with a great wine list and extremely knowledgeable staff has been enriching the surrounding market stalls since 2017. As the name suggests, Concept Riesling specializes in the most widespread grape variety in Germany. But that is only half the truth. Basically, the entire spectrum of German wine culture is celebrated here - from the established greats of the local winegrowing scene to up-and-comers who are still relatively unknown. And "celebrated" means literally, because there is often a lot going on in this hybrid of wine place and wine shop. "We want to be an uncomplicated place where everyone can drink great wines from artisanal family wineries," says Philipp Kutsch, who co-founded Concept Riesling. There are over 1,000 wines on offer and the great thing about the location is that you can not only enjoy the wine here, but also buy it by the bottle to take home. You can even bring your own snacks to share with friends. Just add a few delicacies from your favorite stalls - and the evening will be perfect! 

SommeLerie

Another wine spot with female expertise. Before Susanne Fischer set up her own business, she was head sommelier at the star-crowned Hummerstübchen. Since 2009, she has been providing a loyal clientele with wine and the knowledge that goes with it in her SommeLerie on Unterbilker Bürgerstraße. Her aim, says Fischer, is to occasionally amaze experienced wine drinkers and introduce newcomers to the almost inexhaustible universe of flavors of different wines and grape varieties. But above all, she has a message: wine should be fun! To make this wish come true, the sommelier focuses strictly on perfect craftsmanship and the people behind it. Her range consists of 300 wines of European origin, and she knows many of the winemakers at the smaller wineries, some of which are still little known, personally. Susanne Fischer offers tasting packages and wine subscriptions for particularly enterprising students.

Kakhaber

Did you know that Georgia is considered the cradle of viticulture? Archaeologists date the first wine production in the South Caucasus to around 6,000 years before Christ. Clay vessels used in the production process, known as qvevri, which were found on site, indicate that the early Georgians were the first in the world to carry out the following experiment: Bury grape juice underground for the winter and it would turn into wine. That sounds exciting and archaic, and the great thing is that since 2020, all you have to do to trace - or rather taste - the history is to take a trip to Rethelstrasse, where you can taste the products of the Qvevri wine-making method in the here and now and in real life. Kakhaber Gabelaia comes from Tbilisi and not only stocks a selected range of Qvevri wines in his lovingly furnished wine shop with adjoining wine bar, but also Orange Wine, a special type of natural wine, as well as other white and red wines from Georgia. Complemented by country-specific spirits, Georgian lager beers and delicatessen, which can also be tasted on site - just like the wines. And it's worth it!

Cover picture: Düsseldorf Tourismus