Paula Maia's Wine blog

Stepping off the train from Vienna felt just like coming home. I love Munich for many reasons beyond my understanding. Maybe those deep roots do have an influence after all. My great grand-father was German and my great grand-mother was Austrian or Hungarian- or both. I, on the other hand, never had any interest in Germany until I met my husband, who’s German.

I don’t know if it’s the beer, the wine, or the Schnitzel that gets me, or if it’s something about their obsessive methodology, efficiency and perfectionism that draws me to it. Perhaps it’s all those wursts, all that green and all those fancy cars, but there’s definitely something about Munich that feels so homey. I love to walk around the historical city center, to stroll through the Englischer Garten and to simply wait and count the seconds until the bus arrives at the exact scheduled time.

From the Hauptbahnhof we walked to Hofbraukeller at Wiener Platz, where we had a Schnitzel of course, in their Biergarten near the Gasteig- Munich’s Philarmonic. It was the perfect way to end the trip and prepare myself psychologically to go to my real home in New York. Actually, the trip really ended at the airport, where I enjoyed a Currywurst with a Weissbier at the Airbräu- the next closest thing to heaven.

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Breakfast in Italy, lunch in Austria, dinner in Germany, oh the good life I have! Besides the natural anatomy of those countries, and the fact that if you drive from Germany to Italy you must cross Austria, it still sounds utterly decadent to be in three countries in one day.

Also in the Alps and surrounded by three very high mountains, Innsbruck is an international winter sports destination. In 1964 and in 1976, Innsbruck hosted the Winter Olympics and the First Winter Youth Olympics of 2012 is being held in Innsbruck as well.

Believe it or not, the day we were there they were having a festival that happens only every 20 years. We beat the odds of this all-weekend drink and dance fest that had most residents celebrating in traditional costumes. After checking out the altstadt we stopped at Stiftskeller for a Wiener Schnitzel and a Gruner Veltliner. By 10 o’clock we were back in Munich having- you guessed- another Schnitzel, this time with an Augustiner-Braeu.

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Ciao Bolzano! or should I say Halo Bozen?

Bolzano or Bozen is one of the two provinces that make up the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, in the northernmost part of Italy. Südtirol as it is known in German, has a long history. The south of the region around the city of Trento has always been Italian, while Alto Adige, in the north around Bolzano, was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since 1918 the whole region has been officially Italian, but 75% of the population still speaks German.

Alto Adige is mostly in the Alps, where only 15% of the land is suitable for cultivation. Wine-making is limited and challenging, and yet, it is the region that exports the highest proportion of its production. Such conditions reflect in the price, but the quality is generally worth it. The style is usually light, dry and high in acidity, with varietal labels of native and international varieties.

On the southern counterpart, Trentino is a major source of commercial Pinot Grigio from much less challenging slopes. Both regions also produce small amounts of reds from local black grapes. On our way to the Veneto we had lunch in Bolzano, or Bozen, in a nice traditional ristorante. It was my first time in Italy, but it didn’t feel like it until we crossed Trento.

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When I think of Rheingau the first name that comes to my mind is Robert Weil- one of the world’s best producers- and his monumental Chateau-like estate. It was around ten in the morning when we arrived and I have never been so happy to start drinking this early.

Made of Riesling grapes from First Growth vineyards, and only in the best declared vintages, their dessert wines are granted 100 points almost always. Not your everyday wine, but rather for very special occasions, being it a pic-nic in the park or your wedding day, depending how you look at it.

The day kept getting better and better. Lunch had been planned at Schloss Vollrads, which I regret to remember that we missed it. Nonetheless viewing the castle was spectacular and lunch at a nearby winery was so good that I didn’t care. I had a Riesling Flamm Kuchen, a crisp flat bread with cream fraiche, bits of bacon, shallots, and roasted Riesling grapes. Seriously, to die for!

Next stop was Schloss Johannisberg, another symbol of Rheingau region. A majestic sight founded as a Benedictine Monastery around 1100 A.D. Plantings are 100% of Riesling variety and the wines are very nice. The terrace overlooking the vineyards was the perfect place to watch the sunset, while savoring a glass of their own Sekt.

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After being spoiled rotten on my first trip to Europe, I told my husband we had to go back- asap. Back in NY I started to plan a trip to Germany’s wine country. The plan was to visit as many renowned estates as possible. Out of 13 regions, we covered 7: Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Mittelrhein, Mosel, Nahe, Pfalz and Baden.

We landed in Frankfurt, and to my surprise there was a wine fest just outside the hotel. I couldn’t believe it! Right away- off a truck- I had started my journey. Bubbles, Roses, Rieslings all together with sausages, cheese and cured meats. I was like a kid in a candy store, and that was only the first 15 minutes of the beginning of this trip.

Finally my husband managed to drag me out of the fest and show me around. It was mind boggling to walk along the river and see castles and roman ruins in sync with skyscrapers, hookers, beergartens, gothic churches, bicycles, boats, tourists, locals, audis, benzes, bimas, applestrudel, you name it!

My head was spinning- I needed a drink! What do I see? An amazing market with a weinstube on the rooftop. Weinstube is a pub or a wine bar traditional of Southern Germany. Local wines are preferred and served in a very informal setting. So right there, sipping the best Sekts I could possibly ask for, watching people and produce, I realized I was hooked. I had fallen in love with Germany.

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