Excellent Wine Concepts 2025

VDP.Prädikatsweingüter and meiningers sommelier once again present the "Ausgezeichnetes Weinkonzept" (Outstanding Wine Concepts) awards at the 2025 VDP.Weinbörse in Mainz.

What began just a few years ago as a modest recognition of great wine passion has since evolved into a coveted seal of vinophile excellence: the Ausgezeichnetes Weinkonzept (Outstanding Wine Concept ). Jointly awarded by the VDP.Prädikatsweingüter and meiningers sommelier, it has become a visible symbol of vibrant wine culture – from urban hideaways to alpine luxury retreats. Wherever the elegant brass plaque bearing the VDP.eagle gleams, guests can expect more than just a good wine list: here, wine advice becomes an art form, selection becomes a mindset, and passion becomes a concept.

The number of applications remains consistently high – and again in 2025, numerous establishments from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have laid their cards on the table, both literally and figuratively. The jury has once more honored the most exciting concepts.

This year’s special award focused on the grape variety that stands like no other for the identity of German wine and shapes its international radiance: Riesling. Two entirely different approaches were celebrated in this category: the radically Riesling-focused Concept Riesling in Düsseldorf and the finely tuned gourmet program of Marie-Helen Krebs at Schloss Elmau.

The following are the laudatory speeches by meiningers sommelier Editor-in-Chief Sascha Speicher.

Special Award for Best Riesling Concept

Few grape varieties hold as much significance for VDP.Estates as Riesling. Few are as formative for the identity of German wine as a whole. German wine is immediately associated with Riesling—and just as importantly, Riesling is associated with Germany. It’s our strongest asset in the international arena and competition—without diminishing the value of German Sekt, Spätburgunder, Silvaner, Lemberger, or other regionally defining grape varieties. But Riesling, from dry to noble sweet, is our unique selling point.

That the Riesling boom has slowed somewhat in recent years is due to many small reasons. High time to counteract that. And so in 2025, we honor the best Riesling concept in gastronomy.

Strictly speaking, there are two concepts—and they are so different from one another that comparing them or weighing their respective strengths is impossible.

Nico von der Ohe, Concept Riesling

This one already bears Riesling in its name: Concept Riesling. Anyone who has plunged into the crowd at Düsseldorf’s Carlsplatz during the heyday of ProWein knows why this wine bar shines internationally as an ambassador of Riesling. 1,500 wine listings, more than 1,000 of them Rieslings, showcasing an impressive range and vintage depth. A traditional wine list doesn’t exist – instead, excellently stocked shelves serve as a walk-in wine list. For those overwhelmed by the selection, one of six trained sommeliers is ready to help. The management is shared by Philipp Kutsch, Björn Schwethelm, and Nico von der Ohe – the latter widely regarded as the face of Concept Riesling in the wine scene. Over the past seven years, the concept has been continuously refined and enriched with numerous events and rare tastings. There’s no question: Concept Riesling does more than any other to promote the brilliance of Riesling – even on a global scale. The metal plaque reading "Outstanding Riesling Concept" is perfectly placed at Carlsplatz.

Marie-Helen Krebs, Schloss Elmau, Restaurant Ikigai

International appeal? Tireless dedication to Riesling, from bone dry to lusciously sweet? Vintage depth? All of these apply equally to Marie-Helen Krebs and her work at Restaurant Ikigai at Schloss Elmau. The mission may seem similar to that of Concept Riesling – but the means are entirely different. Here, a digital wine list in black and white testifies to the diversity and fascination of German Riesling. There’s no menu from Christoph Rainer’s kitchen that doesn’t include at least one German Riesling in the pairing. As a top sommelier, she would gladly include two or three, if she didn’t also feel responsible for offering guests variety. Most importantly, she identified a key problem for Riesling in fine dining earlier than most: young Riesling can be delightful – enjoyed solo or paired with hearty dishes like liver sausage or bratwurst, it’s unbeatable. But in two- or three-star restaurants, it’s only a limited pairing partner when pairing is taken seriously. Especially with the current gourmet trends of fermenting, pickling, and an emphasis on vegetables, Riesling needs some age to shine. And that’s exactly what it gets with Marie-Helen Krebs. After five, ideally ten years, she confidently serves Rieslings across the sweetness spectrum – regularly thrilling her international guests at the Schloss.

Outstanding Wine Concept – International

The situation here is much like the special award for the best Riesling concept – which is why there are again two winners this year: one from Austria and one from Switzerland.

Sven Uzat, Park Hotel Vitznau

Let’s begin in Switzerland. How about some stats? Over 200 German white wines from 24 producers across seven wine regions, around 50 reds from 9 producers in five regions, and a comparable range of sweet wines. Among the whites, Riesling dominates; among the reds, Spätburgunder – true to Germany’s international strengths. Like most top sommeliers in Switzerland, Sven Uzat hails from Germany. Born near Nuremberg, his career took him to top establishments: from Waldhotel Sonnora to Vienna’s Palais Coburg. From Austria’s most comprehensively stocked wine cellar, he moved to the Park Hotel Vitznau on Lake Lucerne. This aesthetic wine cellar, with honeycomb-shaped shelves, rivals the Palais Coburg’s – no coincidence, as both are backed by the Pühringer Foundation Group. As head of a four-person sommelier team, Uzat has access to an extraordinary selection. For German wines, he focuses on top names and builds vertical depth across top vineyards. Thus, German wine is more than worthily represented in one of Switzerland’s most dazzling wine showcases.

Maximilian Steinfeld, Hotel Alpenstern, Damüls

A native German also oversees the wine program in our second international award-winning concept. The plural is intentional – two wine books are required to prevent the wine list from becoming a workout. There’s a white wine list and a red one. Together with his wife Corina, Maximilian Steinfeld also serves as the hotel’s junior director. A true North German from the island of Sylt, he now lives in Damüls, high in the Vorarlberg mountains. From the Damüls peaks, he can even see Lake Constance if homesickness strikes – though free time is scarce. The hotel’s renovation and wine list expansion took place during the COVID years – and were used wisely. The result: one of Austria’s best wine lists with a clear German accent. Steinfeld’s wine education was rooted in Riesling, as he proudly notes – and it shows to this day. He offers more than 200 dry German whites, mostly Rieslings, with the Pfalz particularly well represented: six VDP estates, including IDIG and GAISBÖHL, with impressive vintage depth. He also lists Spätburgunder from nine producers and a Lemberger – in Austria, no less. Prices are notably fair, making a bottle of Riesling and a Spätburgunder perfectly feasible for guests after a long day on the slopes.

Outstanding Wine Concept – Germany

Andreas Held, Meisenheimer Hof

Why always look far afield? There are so many first-class wine concepts right along Germany’s winegrowing regions. In many of them, top-quality German wines are enjoyed more frequently and naturally than in the grand establishments of Berlin or Munich. Often, the stumbling block is an overly narrow focus on one’s home region. To qualify as an “Outstanding Wine Concept,” we expect not only a strong regional accent, but a broad representation of German wine in all its diversity.

Rarely have we seen a wine list that manages this balancing act as successfully as that of Meisenheimer Hof. Naturally, the focus is on the Nahe, led by the family’s own Disibodenberg estate and covering all (!) nine VDP wineries of the Nahe region – with at least five and up to more than 40 listings per estate. Around 20 additional wineries from the region make sommelier Andreas Heid’s list a true “Nahe Deep Dive.” But that’s not all: five wineries from Baden, four each from the Pfalz, Franconia, and the Rheingau, six from Rheinhessen, and even eight from Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer – plus one each from the Mittelrhein and Saale-Unstrut – complete the white wine selection. Württemberg, the Ahr, and Saxony appear on the red wine pages. Combined with the Michelin-starred cuisine of Markus Pape since 2024, the Romantikhotel am Glan is a must-visit for wine and culinary lovers.

Katharina Iglesias, Winebank Hamburg

The Winebanks created by Christian Ress are popping up across Germany and internationally. They clearly capture the spirit of the times. Yet the Winebank in Hamburg is hardly comparable to other locations in this global franchise network. In Hamburg, the private club concept has always been well received – and sommelier Katharina Iglesias enhances this sense of belonging with an outstanding wine list.

It’s not only expertly stocked, but also impressively designed – featuring winery logos and even vineyard maps (though their selection isn’t always easy to interpret). Still, it’s a joy to leaf through this list – and the wine prices are refreshingly fair. The dry wine section shines with both depth and breadth: certain estates and vineyards show strong vertical vintage depth, complemented by brief excursions to neighboring wine regions before moving on. A particularly original idea: sweet wines are presented first, even before the sparkling wine section – a clever move to awaken interest in this quintessentially German style of Riesling.

Andreas Lelke, Bungertshof, Oberdollendorf​​​​​​​

Before diving into Andreas Lelke’s wine list, it’s worth glancing at the table of contents – to avoid losing heart somewhere between page 20 and 30. Pages 12 to 39 alone are dedicated to over 50 producers from Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer. And before that, on pages 8 and 9, you’ll find a comprehensive selection of 25 German sparkling wines.

Back to still wines: the clear focus is the Mosel region and Riesling. Many of the 100+ estates on the list offer vintages dating back to the 1990s. This might be the only top-tier wine list in Germany where there are more off-dry and noble sweet wines listed than dry ones. Anyone dining here enters a “Kabi Heaven” (Kabinett paradise). But naturally, Lelke also offers a wide range of dry wines – both white and red – from beyond the Mosel and Mittelrhein.

Visually and practically, this incredible list has the charm of a phone book – but it’s consistently interspersed with detailed descriptions of selected estates, their vineyards, and terroir. Guests can educate themselves thoroughly – and perhaps be inspired to try a wine from a producer whose Riesling they’ve never had before. For any wine lover, a trip to Bungertshof, at the foot of the northernmost vineyards of the Mittelrhein, will be well worth it – especially because this is where a true ambassador of German wine lives his hospitality dream.