schiller-wine: Back after 45 Years: Winemaker Dinner at Hotel Erbprinz in Ettlingen, with Claus Burmeister, Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensburg, Baden, Germany

Pictures: Winemaker Dinner at Hotel Erbprinz in Ettlingen, with Claus Burmeister, Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensburg, Baden, Germany

Annette Schiller and I went to a winemaker dinner with Claus Burmeister of Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensberg at Hotel/ Restaurant Erbprinz in Ettlingen. This was a very special moment for both of us. We had been there just once before, at the beginning of our joint life, in 1977.

Das Deutsche Küchenwunder and the Erbprinz

The 1970s was the decade of the so called Deutsches Küchenwunder/ German Gastronomique Revolution. In the 1970s chefs emerged that cooked at a level comparable to what the Germans only knew from neighboring France. French haute cuisine emphasizes small menus with high-end ingredients and refinement. Before the shift to fine dining, the introduction of frozen pizzas, canned ravioli and other processed foods attracted the interests of the foodies in Germany.

Reflecting the Deutsche Küchenwunder, in 1964, the French Michelin Restaurant Guide branched out to Germany. In 1964 and 1965, there were not stars in the Michelin Restaurant Guide Deutschland. In the 1966 Michelin Guide Deutschland 66 restaurants were awarded one star. In the 1974 Michelin Guide Deutschland, 7 restaurants received 2 stars. One of the restaurants receiving 2 stars in 1974 was the Erbprinz in Ettlingen, with Chef Günther Wanka. In the 1980 Michelin Guide Deutschland, Eckart Witzigmann was the first chef in Germany to be awarded 3 stars, at his restaurant Auvergine in Munich.

In the early 1970s, Annette and I met. Both having grown up in families with only very limited exposure to haute cuisine and also non-German food, we discoverd the world of non-German food and haute cuisine jointly. I remember a French bistro, Chez Jean, in our neighborhood where we discoverd the way the French would dine and wine. As part of this culinary journey, we went to the Erbprinz in 1977 for dinner (and the following day to a Oskar Schlemmer Exhibition in Stuttgart). This was our first 2 star Michelin fine dining experience. We have not been back to the Erbprinz since then and very much enjoyed the evening at the Erbprinz, 45 years later.

The leading journalists in terms of the Deutsche Küchenwunder were Klaus Besser and Wolfram Sieback. Klaus Besser`s "Die hundert besten Restaurants in Europa"/ The 100 best Restaurants in Europe, which was issued for the first time in 1976, was more influential than the Michelin Guide Deutschland. I still have the 1977 edition, in which the Hotel/ Restaurant Erbprinz is listed as the best restaurant in Germany.

In the 1980 edition, Hotel/ Restaurant Erbprinz was listed as #27. At the top were Schweizer Stuben and Aubergine. Annette and I had dinner at the Schweizer Stuben, with Jörg and Dieter Müller heading the kitchen, on December 29, 1979.

In 1976, the "Feinschmecker", Germany`s leading gourmet journal until today, was founded. Annette likes and knows very well how to cook and Paul Bocuse`s cookbook "Die Neue Deutsche Küche" (released in 1977, one year after the French version) became Annette`s most important reference in the kitchen.

At the same time, while my father, for example, would open a bottle of beer for dinner, and German wine tended to be fruity-sweet, the trocken wave swept over the German wine world. German trocken wines, fully fermented, would crowd out the French wines that initially dominate the wine list of the Deutsche Küchenwunder restaurants.

Initially, several centuries ago, the Erbprinz used to be a post of the Thurn and Taxis network that operated a postal service on horseback throughout Europe. In 1788, the owner of the Thurn and Taxis post in Ettlingen was allowed to accomodate others and the Hotel and Restaurant Erbprinz was born. It had its haydays in the 1950s and 1960s when politicians and movie stars liked to gather there. In the 1970s it was at the forefront of the German food scene. In the last 20 to 30 years, the Erbprinz has lost a bit of its glamour. The Michelin stars were gone for many years, but the Erbprinz is back now at the 1 star level. It still is a 5 star hotel. Anyway, Annette and I were very happy to be back. So many memories.

Pictures: Winemaker Dinner at Hotel Erbprinz in Ettlingen, with Claus Burmeister, Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensburg, Baden, Germany

Claus Burmeister, Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensburg, Baden

Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensberg are both members of the VDP, the association of about 200 elite winemakers. They are both run by Claus Burmeister, who was our host, and are both owned by Heinz Heiler, who made his money in real estate. Both estates have 4 out of 5 stars in the Vinum WeinGuide Deutschland.

We visited Weingut Heitlinger and Weingut Burg Ravensberg a few years ago. See:

The Top Wine Makers of the Kraichgau - The Northern Part of the Baden Wine Region in Germany

Claus Burmeister: Weingut Heitlinger is nestled among the Tiefenbach vineyards. Tiefenbach, Eichelberg and Odenheim offer a diversity of 160-million-year-old limestone sediment soils that is found nowhere else in Germany. From white to purple, red or variegated limestone marl all the way to Stuben sandstone, you will find everything within a few hundred metres in the vineyards classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. It’s an extremely complex and exciting terroir versatility, perfect for Burgundian varieties. We grow Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay and Auxerrois on white limestone, Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) on purple and red limestone marl. The hilly landscape also ensures unique microclimates. The Kraichgau region has been home to winegrowing for over 600 years. We cultivate several monopole vineyards classified as VDP.GROSSE LAGE®, which are among the oldest vineyard sites in Baden.

The Burg Ravensburg winery is one of the oldest wineries in the world, first mentioned in documents dating 1251. The viticultural heart of the winery lies directly below the castle: the three monopole vineyards HUSARENKAPPE, LÖCHLE and DICKER FRANZ, each classified as a VDP.GROSSE LAGE®. The winery was probably one of the first to plant Blaufränkisch in Germany and Riesling in Baden.