Lutter & Wegner, Berlin

Many Germans are extremely fond of a drink known as sekt, the German equivalent of champagne, and this traditional champagne cellar was its birthplace. When writer E.T.A. Hoffman heard a drunken actor cry out something indistinguishable to the waiter, he immediately wrote the strange word down and the name sekt was born. Or so the legend has it. The original champagne cellars are still here, as is an Austrian restaurant which serves up traditional Alpine fare ranging from Tafelspitz (boiled beef) to Kaiserschmarrn (pancake with raisins). As one of Berlin's most venerable vintners, it occupies a spacious, beautifully wood-paneled dining room. The winery offers more than 750 different wines from unknown vintages to the best names and regions with three-digit bottle prices. Lutter & Wegner is one of Germany's best-known producers of sekt.

Write a Review