La Vincaillerie Cologne

After drinking a delicious glass of Jérome Jouret's buttery Sauvignon Blanc "La Chasse aux Papillons", I thought to myself: "I must find a place where I can buy this unconventional wine". I even went to a wine shop in Lyon (France) during my holidays to try to find it. All the while, Jérome Jouret's wines were actually available in a natural wine shop in Ehrenfeld called La Vincaillerie.

La Vincaillerie stocks natural wines from all over Europe, including Austria (e.g. Schmelzers Weingut), France (e.g. AntocyÂmes), Georgia (e.g. Artana Wines) and Germany (e.g. KMH Weine). In brackets are wineries whose wines I have tasted and can warmly recommend. La Vincaillerie also sells cherry wines, ciders and spontaneously fermented beers from my favourite German brewery: Kemker Kultur.

The owner, Surk-ki Schrade, gives good recommendations, even by phone. She organises wine tastings and you can hire the shop for private events or tastings. She also organises the Wine Salon Natürel Cologne, which usually takes place at the end of March. Finally, if you want to enjoy the wines from the comfort of your own home, you can order them online.