The Kurpfalz Weinstuben is one of the world’s best wine restaurantsand a very good reason to travel to Berlin (like I just did). But it’s so eccentric that many unadventurous people, who really ought to know better, i.e. be more open-minded, say things about it like, “well…yes I suppose if the other interesting places are full…”. That’s just the sign of a lack of imagination and appreciation though, that they aren’t able to accept how some “old-fashioned” things only seem that way because over decades and they’ve been perfected to the point where it’s very difficult to push them any further. Those words certainly apply to the Saumagen which Rainer Schultz, cook and patron (pictured above), has served since 1976. This pork and potatoes-based haggis like “sausage” from the Pfalz never tasted better than in Berlin’s Kurpfalz Weinstuben (the herbs and spices! the delicious pork fat!) although it often tasted wonderful in the Pfalz. The ideal wine for this dish is a bold, but subtle dry Riesling from the same region from dyed-in-the-wool traditional winemaking specialist Philippi of the Koehler-Ruprecht winery in Kallstadt/Pfaz. Many mature vintages of this wine are on offer in the Kurpfalz Weinstuben for the simple reason that this is a wine which really does taste so much more exciting when it’s had a few years in the bottle to mellow, then double-melloow, after which it is still bursting with life and energy. Need I write more? No, but of course I could go on and on. However, since I got to Berlin I’ve not been in good health and this is best kept short and to the point, as in this is a place you have to experience!
PS All I’ve done is to hint at what this place has to offer. The wine list is mind-blowing with sometimes absurdly friendly prices. The only things you shouldn’t expect here are light, low-fat food, bright modern lighting or permission to use your cellphone/smartphone. It might even be an NSA/GCHQ-free zone!
http://www.kurpfalz-weinstuben.de
