Wine Shops of Munich

Sourcing wine is like this blog, the focus is not on grocery stores and their wines. But sometimes it is. Karstadt, a department store near the main station, has managed to add that small shop element with the woman who offers wine tastings on some late afternoons. She's been doing this job for several years and always has several wines open. She's also generous with the tasting. So, of course, she generally manages to find the right wine for me on the right day. And they are clever, 12 bottles for the price of 11 - and free delivery for any combination of purchases over 100 euro. I'm set for Tempranillo now for awhile. 😍

Urban Bottle hit the Casper scene about the same time I did. Located downtown in the old Yellowstone district. When my parents were young, this part of town was pretty rough and tumble, but the city has recognized the importance of maintaining a safe and business-friendly downtown.  Google Map Urban Bottle has a modern, urban vibe, super friendly staff, and a great selection of imported and American wines as well as beers (imported and domestic), and harder alcohols, including locally distilled gins and whiskeys. The owners are wine lovers, and the selection rotates enough to keep every visit interesting. I'm spoiled by the prices of wine in Europe. Wine is, in general, overpriced for me in Wyoming and I can actually find the same Argentinian Malbec or any Californian wine for a better price in Europe.  But on the other hand, the creative names and labels on American wines are starting to grow on me.

This is one of my favourite wine shops in Munich. Why? Great selection of mainly French wines Good range of prices Very nice service from a charming married couple who, I think, are from Croatia Close to where I live. They will also be honest about the wines - if asked - and will steer you to a better one, if appropriate (without steering you to one which is more expensive). The shop is on Pariserstrasse in the French quarter of Munich. I think it used to be called Liquid or Liquide. At the front of the shop are oils, liquors and chocolates but at the back is where the wine action takes place. They also have wine tasting days.

There is, every once in a while, a wine that knocks your socks off. My wine journey started over 20 years ago, involves ex-pats, a snobby German boyfriend, a trip to northern Italy and vineyards and a stop in Sterzing and a Johnson's wine guide. But my search for the wine that stands out really started about 10 years ago at a wine show, wandering through the sales stands when I smelled a Barbera d'Alba. The sales rep saw the look on my face and sold me quite a bit of wine that year. And for several years after that. However, they sold out of that Barbera the next year and aside from a Chateau Neuf de Pape one year, nothing has grabbed my attention like that since then. So, I've been looking for that experience ever since. And it was finally topped on my birthday. TPWNN found a Tempranillo that was so amazing that I couldn't finish the bottle right away. The sensory overload was so intense that I spent most of the evening, and the next evening, simply smelling it. ...

The Job Hunter knows my Achille's Heel. Wine? Of course, I'll contribute to a blog about wine. So when TJHWNN and I decided on a meet up for pizza and wine, I decided to go old school and visit the local drinks store. There are less and less of these in town, but they harken back to the days before large supermarkets when each neighborhood had a smattering of little shops - a butcher, a baker, a fruit and vegetable store, a stationery store, a pharmacy, a store for water, soft drinks, and beer and wine, etc. Well, you get my point. Actually, my local plaza/square still does have all those, and a teeny grocery store as well. Anyway, my local plaza still has a drink shop. Several years ago, the grumpy old German who ran this and another drink store nearby sold out to two different people. One went bust, the other has been doing a flourishing business. (Interesting sideline, both stores were taken over by immigrants from different countries. I know the store that is still open...

"Let's meet up with friends and drink wine" said a German friend, "on a regular basis". And, because I am good at words, I suggested calling it a "winetisch". This a portmanteau of "wine" and "Stammtisch". The latter word is used to describe a reserved table in a pub where a group of friends meet on a regular basis. The former word describes an alcoholic drink made of fermented gra... you all should know what that is. So, for the last few years (quite a few years actually) we have been meeting, not at pubs but at people's home and drinking wine, often interesting wines. It's a bit like a cheese and wine party but very focussed on wine. To make things interesting I stopped buying wines from the main supermarkets and targeted boutique wine shops around Munich. Which eventually led to this blog.