Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Let me introduce you to Joachim Rong...

www.joachimrong.de
One thing I love about Berlin is that there are so many little wine stores.
You can find one on almost every second street in Prenzlauer Berg and Mitte.
I love wine but I rarely have a clue what wine to drink with what kind of food.
Therefore it's best to just walk into one of those stores and ask the people there.
You tell them what you are planning to cook/eat and how much you are willing  to spend and they'll figure out what wine would be best.

Joachim really likes to drink wine, as well!
One of my favorite wine stores is Joachim Rongs Weingalerie on Gaudystraße 25 in 10437 Berlin (Prenzlauer Berg).
So far every wine he recommended to us was a perfect fit.
Joachim is a super nice guy who not only likes wine but, what's most important, also loves his job.
I remember walking into wine stores before and feeling kind of intimidated because I didn't have a clue and the owners often seemed annoyed. Especially when I told them that I wasn't planning to spend more than 8 or 9 Euros on a bottle.
Joachim is pretty easy and casual about this. Neither does he make a big mystery or science about the different varietals or wine-growing districts, nor will he try to sell you something at any cost or give you the feeling of not being a member of the privileged wine club society.
For him it's more important that the wine tastes good and that he can share his knowledge and new discoveries with you.The prices for a bottle start at around 6 Euros and go up to 60-70 Euros per bottle. He regularly offers wine tastings where he opens a couple of bottles and serves some snacks.
They range between 10 and 20 Euros.
In the back of his store Joachim has a little gallery where he regularly has small exhibitions and shows work of different artists.


My favorite wines at Joachim's 
(so far) are:

Whites
Hammel Sauvignon Blanc collage
Lomond Sauvignon Blanc
Barth Kabinett Riesling, dry
  
Reds
Abadal, Crianza Cabernet
Sauvignon-Merlot-Pla de Bages DO
Taurus Tinto Roble Tinto de Toro
Lomond Conebush Syrah

1 comment: