The times invite complaining - but laughing is healthier, they say. And when the German Wine Institute announces today that "based on the commissioned analysis of the wine market by NielsenIQ ... in Germany, the quantities of wine purchased and the sales achieved with it fell by around seven percent compared to the previous year" because "less wine was purchased less frequently and less per household", then this is not exactly cheering news for a specialist retailer. But: you can do something! Matthias Gräfe and his team at Radebeul Wein&fein, for example, have been thinking about this for some time and have been observing the customers in the store and in the adjoining bistro. After all, good sparkling wines are the order of the day - and tasty, characterful alternatives to wine are becoming increasingly popular. Which is why this year's cooking star menu (like last year's) offers both. And because both accompaniments are comparable in terms of craftsmanship and therefore also price, guests can switch easily: here the Proxy, there the mature Pinot Noir. As you like it, as Shakespeare so aptly put it.
"Living room" is written in neon letters on the wall above the buffet. A guest once brought this as a gift - probably so that he could simply say at home that he was in the living room. The term pretty much sums up the atmosphere at Wein&fein, because it's informal without being clumsy. And even non-regulars are treated as if they had always been guests. What makes the "Best wine bar in a vinotheque" (falstaff Barguide 2023 - even improved by one point since then) and one of the few Gerolsteiner wine places since 2023 (in Saxony, only two other wine bars belong to this select circle: the WeinKulturBar in Dresden and Janek Schumann's Herder Zehn in Freiberg) particularly special is the well thought-out combination of food and drinks. It has to be right - and until that happens, a few test meals and adjustments are usually necessary in advance.
The result should then be right - if the guests' tastes harmonize with those of the team. Right at the start of the evening, there was an acid test: sourdough bread with a spread of beet, walnut and coriander. With the earthy beet and the special coriander on top, this was a challenge in itself, which was then accompanied by an equally challenging wine: a Georgian white wine cuvée that fermented on the skins for six months. This explains the color, but also the oxidative taste, which is not at all light and fruity. But, as Torsten Ebert (who expertly guided us through the evening) pointed out: what may taste strange on its own can at least be quite acceptable in combination - or, as in this case, even be enjoyed.
Tom Kha Gai soup is usually served with chicken as a broth or as a meat garnish. Manuela Engelmann-Tyralla had prepared this one in the kitchen as a vegetarian (or even vegan, I didn't pay enough attention when explaining...) version. As is so often the case, nothing was missing - and the carrot and cabbage pesto is the very best. Not only visually, but also in terms of taste, a nice counterpoint to the soup made from the unjustly frowned upon turnip! The soup was accompanied by wine - a tart Riesling from the Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken winery on the Saar. They only have great vineyards, but this was an estate wine. The best price-to-drink ratio ever and (not for the first time) a wine that really benefits from the slight residual sweetness - with the soup, but also a pleasure on its own.
First beet, then yellow beetroot - and now? Brussels sprouts! Yes, there are many vegetables in winter that we have eaten in strange preparations. But with a little imagination, you can always try something different, perhaps unusual: Brussels sprouts as leaves and small pieces in a cold salad, dressed in Asian style and therefore not at all the classic German winter vegetable. The truffled meatloaf was correspondingly tender, so that this course (also) had something light about it. As Torsten Ebert said at the beginning (when we asked whether the six courses were manageable?): the aim is that nobody leaves hungry - but nobody has to be wheeled to the station either. So far, it's gone down well - and while we're on the subject: during the week - i.e. on Tuesdays - the menu can also be ordered as a three-course meal. "Guests had requested this because they didn't have time for a long evening, but still wanted to try it out," says Matthias Gräfe, explaining the addition to the menu.
Three courses are also possible - but what you miss out on...
I would have that fomo feeling, the fear of missing out... I didn't want to miss out on the Lobster Mac'n Cheese intermediate course in particular, because I've had it at Gräfe before and was really impressed. Even without tips and tricks, the combination of lobster, macaroni (the mac comes from the American macaroni!) and cheese is not to be sneezed at. But when Manu tells you when serving that there are three cheeses docking on your taste buds (two in the sauce and one as a Parmesan chip on top), it becomes even more complex. Add a hearty sip of dry Furmint from Hungary (or even more heartily, because it's alcohol-free, Little Lion from the Korrell vineyard on the Nahe) and all is well.
The main course was a surprise, although you could have guessed it: Pot au feu is a stew, coq au vin with the suffix (white) is a rooster in white wine. So nothing to do with pot roast and mashed potatoes, but a much lighter version, which contributed considerably to avoiding going home on a roll. Despite the rooster in the white wine and despite the clear, wonderfully hot soup, it had to be a red wine - because a 2016 Großheubach Bischofsberg Pinot Noir from Benedikt Baltes as a Großes Gewächs doesn't come along every day (especially as Mr. Baltes went back to the Nahe after this vintage to make great wines there). Undogmatic drinking: we can do that!
I could have stopped at this point. Sated enough, carry on with the red wine - living room at its best, right? But firstly, Mrs. Engelmann-Tyralla was born in Austria and knows a thing or two about desserts (even if they are not generically Viennese) and secondly, the dessert was just an accompaniment to the wine, in whose creation and naming I was not entirely uninvolved. So: Off to the hay (Schloss Proschwitz for Gräfe). Always a good bouncer...
Menu
- Start*
Our sourdough bread | beet | walnut | coriander (spread) - Soup*⨷
Tom Kha Gai yellow beetroot soup - Salad
Asian Brussels sprout salad | truffled meat loaf | plum chutney - Saladchutney
- Intermediate course
Lobster Mac'n Cheese - Main course*⨷
Pot au feu of coq au vin (white) | potato | carrot - Dessert*⨷
Oven-baked slurp with rum-apricot | cream cheese chocolate mousse
Courses with * = 4-course menu | courses with ⨷ only Tue-Mi-Thu as 3-course menu
Wine accompaniment/non-alcoholic drinks
- Aperitif:
Bollinger Special Cuvée, Champagne (on request, glass 0,1) 12,50 €
Sparkling White Tea - Bergamotte, Saveur, Württemberg (on request, glass 0,1) 8,50 € - Aperitif:
2022 Kakhuri No.8 Amber Dry White Wine, Teliani Valley, Georgia 6,50 €
Proxy B Quince-Apricot-Walnut, Bouche, Berlin 6,50 € - Soup:
2023 Butterfly Riesling feinherb, Geltz-Zilliken, Mosel 6,00 €
Von Wiesen Brombeerblatt-Apfel, Hessische Bergstraße 6,00 € - Salad:
2023 Grüner Veltliner DAC Reserve, Ried i.d. Schablau, Ingrid Groiss 7,50 €
Lunar Herbs, Leon Gold, Württemberg 7,50 € - Intermediate course:
2022 Mandolas Furmint, Oremus, Tokaj, Hungary 7,50 €
Little Lion, Korrell, Nahe 7,50 € - Main course:
2022 Black Stallion Heritage Chardonnay, Napa Valley 8,50 €
Inspiration 4.4: Grüne Jagdbirne - Weißdorn - Holz, Jörg Geiger 8,50 €
OR
2016 Großheubach Bischofsberg Spätburgunder GG, Benedikt Baltes, Churfranken 8,50 €
Cuvée Rouge Alkoholfrei, A. Diehl, Palatinate 8,50 € - Dessert:
2023 Ab ins Heu, Proschwitz & Gräfe, Saxony 6,00 €
2024 Flein Fizz Rosé, Traubensecco aus Zweigelt, Steiermark, AU 6,00 €
Info
- 3-course menu (Tue-Wed-Thu only) 39,50 - wines to be consumed
- *4-course menu 48 € | incl. wine accompaniment 75 €
- . wine accompaniment 75 €
- 6-course menu 76 € | incl. wine accompaniment 118 €
Gräfe's Wein & fein
Hauptstraße 19
01445 Radebeul
Tel. +49 351 / 8365540
graefes-weinundfein.de
[Visited on February 26, 2026]
