Cos d'Estournel 2006, 1996, 1990 by the Glass at Sticks&Stones, one of the Best Wine Bars in the World, in Muenchen/ Schwabingen, with Owner and Wine Maverick Justin Leone (September 2026)

On the way home from dinner we stopped at @Sticks&Stones by Justin G. Leone. This is an exceptional wine bar with 1000 wines or so available by the glass, all high-end wines. I am not aware of any other wine bar in the world that can offer that. 

We opted for 3 glasses of Cos d'Estournel from Bordeaux, vintages 2006, 1996 und 1990. They were all top, with the 1990, after 36 years in the bottle, showing a remarkable degree of strength. The 1996 was amazing. We paid Euro 196 for these three 0.1 l glasses. 

Justin explained to us that he recently expanded the food menu. 3 courses is Euro 85, 6 course Euro 160. Certainly a place not to miss when you are in Munich. 

Sticks and Stones 

Sticks & Stones in Munich is one of the most innovative wine bars in the world. Curated by renowned sommelier and musician Justin Leone, it was named the "Best Wine Bar in the World" and "Best Wine Bar in Europe" by The World of Fine Wine in 2025.T

The Concept: 900+ Wines by the Glass. The bar features a globally unique concept using groundbreaking Coravin Vinitas technology. This system allows the team to "fractionalize" premium and rare bottles into perfectly preserved 0.1L single-serving pours. It democratizes access to highly allocated or otherwise unaffordable "unicorn" wines, giving guests a chance to taste legendary vintages and large-format bottles without buying the whole bottle.

Food & Atmosphere: The vibe is upscale yet cozy, pairing high-end wine curation with a rock-and-roll playlist.T

The Menu: Curated by up-and-coming Chef Marius Dollinger, the kitchen offers a seasonal 3-to-6 course fine dining menu alongside an à la carte selection, charcuterie, and premium international cheeses.

The Space: Located in Munich's fashionable Schwabing district, the bar features a modern interior decorated with natural stone and wood elements, plus a beautiful outdoor terrace for warmer months.

Arriving

Amazing Wine List

3 Glasses of Cos d'Estournel from Bordeaux, Vintages 2006, 1996 und 1990 

We opted for 3 glasses of Cos d'Estournel from Bordeaux, vintages 2006, 1996 und 1990. They were all top, with the 1990, after 36 years in the bottle, showing a remarkable degree of strength. The 1996 was amazing. We paid Euro 196 for these three 0.1 l glasses.  

Justin G. Leone

 

schiller-wine: Related Postings 

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Germany Classic 2026 (Franken, Rheingau, Mittelrhein, Ahr, Mosel, Nahe, Rheinhessen) by ombiasy WineTours (June 28 to July 8, Summary)

Tuscany - Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Super Tuscans, Maremma, Bolgheri - 2026 by ombiasy Wine Tours, led by Annette Schiller (Summery, June 8-18)

 

Overview: Rhône Valley 2024 by ombiasy WineTours led by Annette Schiller - Facebook Day-by-day Postings 

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Bozen / Bolzano in Alto Adige, Italy: A City Between Two Worlds - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

Bozen / Bolzano: A City Between Two Worlds

Bozen (German), Bolzano Italian), Bulsan (Latin,) is the capital of the autonomous province of South Tyrol (Alto Adige), in northern Italy. Set at the confluence of the Isarco, Talvera, and Adige rivers and ringed by vineyard-covered hills and Dolomite peaks, the city has long served as a meeting point between Germanic and Italian, and more broadly Northern and Southern European, cultures. That in-between character is not incidental scenery; it is the thread running through almost everything significant that has happened here.

A History Shaped by Crossroads

The Romans founded a military settlement here around 15 BC under the general Nero Claudius Drusus, calling it Pons Drusi after a bridge over the Isarco. Excavations beneath the cathedral have turned up a fourth-century Christian basilica and Roman-era tombs, evidence of continuous settlement since antiquity. In 1027 the surrounding territory passed to the prince-bishops of Trent, and by the late twelfth century they had founded a market town along what is now the Lauben arcades, the historic commercial spine of the old center. Bolzano's fortunes rose with its position on the trade route over the Brenner Pass, and in 1277 the city fell under the control of Meinhard II, Count of Tyrol. When the County of Tyrol passed to the House of Habsburg in 1363, Bolzano entered several centuries as a prosperous market and trading town within the Austrian sphere, hosting major merchant fairs that drew traders from across the Alps.

The twentieth century brought the sharpest ruptures. At the end of WWI, with the region overwhelmingly German-speaking (roughly 29,000 German speakers to 1,300 Italian speakers in 1910), Italian troops occupied South Tyrol; annexation was internationally recognized in 1919. Mussolini's fascist government then pursued an aggressive Italianization policy: the words "Tyrol" and "Tyrolean" were banned by law, German-language schooling was suppressed, German family names were forcibly Italianized, and the state encouraged mass immigration from other parts of Italy to dilute the German-speaking majority. Bolzano became the provincial capital in 1927, and heavy industry was built up through the 1930s specifically to attract Italian workers. The 1939 "Option Agreement" between Hitler and Mussolini then forced South Tyroleans to choose between emigrating to the Third Reich or remaining and accepting full assimilation, tearing families and communities apart.

Postwar WWII reconciliation was slow and, at times, violent. The 1946 Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement promised the German-speaking population equality of rights and autonomous government, but the initial 1948 autonomy statute lumped South Tyrol together with Italian- majority Trentino, effectively neutralizing German-speaking political power. Grievances simmered through the 1950s, reached the United Nations General Assembly in 1960, and boiled over in the early 1960s into a bombing campaign waged by the South Tyrolean Liberation Committee against infrastructure and, on occasion, people — most notoriously the "Night of Fire" (Feuernacht) of June 1961. Sustained negotiation eventually produced a new, far more robust autonomy statute in 1972, granting South Tyrol extensive self-government in language, education, and economic policy. Austria and Italy formally closed the dispute in 1992. The result is often cited internationally as a model of minority protection and conflict resolution; the Dalai Lama has visited more than once to study it as a possible template for Tibet. 

Bozen Today

Bozen today is a city of roughly 108,000 people (around 250,000 in the wider metropolitan area) that remains officially bilingual. Since 1945 every mayor has come from the Italian-speaking group, though German-speaking parties remain central to provincial politics. Foreign-born residents make up close to 15% of the population, with sizable Albanian, Moroccan, Pakistani, Romanian, and Ukrainian communities.x Economically, Bolzano has moved well past the heavy industry the fascist regime once implanted here, most of which has since been dismantled. The modern economy rests on a mix of agriculture (wine, apple orchard, dairy), tourism, traditional handicrafts such as woodworking and ceramics, advanced services, and a large public-sector presence tied to the autonomous province's own government, which has considerable fiscal and legislative independence from Rome. Quality-of-life rankings have repeatedly placed Bozen and its province near the top in Italy, and the city has been recognized as an Alpine Town of the Year (2009) and, in 2023, a UNESCO City of Music.

Bozen's present, still carries its past in plain view: bilingual street signs, a bilingual press, a fascist-era monument now framed by a museum installation that reinterprets its meaning, a provincial government built explicitly to manage the coexistence of two language groups, and a city that continues to describe itself, without much exaggeration, as a bridge between northern and southern Europe.

Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours: Already Released and Forthcoming Postings

 

Overview: The Alto Adige/ Trentino Region in Northern Italy and its Winemaking - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Day-by-Day Summary: Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Bozen / Bolzano in Alto Adige, Italy: A City Between Two Worlds - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

A Week at Parkhotel Laurien, Built in the Exuberant Art Nouveau Style, in the Center of Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Meet and Greet at at Parkhotel Laurien  - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

After-dinner Wine at Toma by Lisa Wine Bar in Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Guided Visit of Oetzi, the Iceman in Bozen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Dinner in the Mountains at Buschenschaenke Baumannhof, with the Legendary "Soul of the House" Mali - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Monastery Tour, Vineyard Tour and Tasting at the Neustift Monastery in Brixxen - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Lunch at Granpanorama Hotel Sambergerhof, Way up in the Mountains with a Breathtaking View of the Alps - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Tour and Tasting at Cantina Terlan and Cantina Andian, an Alto Adige Flagship Winery, while Farmers were Delivering their Fruit (Pinot Blanc) - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Lovely Dinner in Old Town Bolzano at Franziskaner Stuben - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Monastery Tour. Vineyard Tour, Cellar Tour and Tasting at Muri-Gries, the Historic Benedictine Monastery and Winery known for its Lagrein Wines, with Technical Director Manfred Bernhard - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Tour and Tasting at Cantina Nals Margreid - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Lunch at Gasthof Apollonia, a Michelin-rated Historic Inn up in the Mountains with Stunning Panoramic Views of the Dolomites and Traditional South Tyrolean Cuisine - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Visit of Weingut Untermoserhof in St. Magdalena, with Current Owner and Winemaker Florian Ramoser and his Father Georg Ramoser - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Winery Tour and Tasting at Azienda Agricola Foradori, the World-renowned Biodynamic Winery in Trentino, with Myrtha Zierock Foradori  - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Lunch at Enotheca della Valpolicella in Fumane with Valpolicella Wines, with Owner Ada Riolfi - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Visit of Allegrini, a Benchmark Producer in the Valpolicella Classica Region, Tasting through Valpolicella Wine Pyramid: Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore, Amarone and Recioto - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Tour of Verona with the Ancient Roman Arena that still hosts Summer Opera Shows and the Story of Romeo and Juliet - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Tasting at Weingut Tiefenbrunner with Owner hristof Tiefenbrunner in Kurtatsch - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours  

 

Lunch and Tasting at Elena Walch at Castel Ringberg, Overlooking Lake Caldero - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Dinner at Thaler Arome, an Upscale Rooftop Restaurant in the Heart of Bolzano - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

Cellar Tour and Tasting at Manincor, a Biodynamic Pioneer and Flagship Winery of the Region, with Owner Count Michael Goess Enzenberg - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Lunch at Alpin Hut Oberholz up in the Dolomites 6300 Feet Above Sea Level - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Tasting at Cantina Kurtatsch, a Premier Cooperative, with a Spectacular View of Adige Valley - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours 

 

Extensive Vineyard Tour, Tasting and Lunch at Alois Lageder, a Historic, Family-run Flagship Winery in Alto Adige, with Sarah Daval, Weinakademiker - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours

 

Tour and Tasting at Tenuta Hofstätter in Tramin, a Flagship Winery of the Alto Adige Region, a Pioneer of Vigna (Single Vineyard) Classification in Alto Adige, with Fourth-generation Owner Martin Hofstaetter - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours  

 

Farewell Dinner at Restaurant 1500 (1 Star Michelin) up in the Vigiljoch above Lana (Reachable only by Cable Car), with Chef Daniel Sanin and Sous-Chef Jonas Graber - Alto Adige 2026 by ombiasy WineTours