Grill wines for the advanced

Hello,

Red wine for the barbecue goes into an ice bath at our place before it's allowed anywhere near the flames. Twenty minutes, and the Frappato from Occhipinti is standing at twelve degrees beside the sausages — cool cherry, snappy acidity, suddenly an entirely different wine.

We've played through an entire evening at the grill: six courses from the aperitif out of the ice bucket to the sweet finale — greens and grilled cheese, everything from the sea, poultry and BBQ, steak and lamb, then peaches and cheese. Two wines for each course.

From this come two six-bottle selections: Entry (approx. 102 €) for a spontaneous midweek evening and Classic (approx. 202 €) for the weekend when the rack of lamb goes on the grill. Individual bottles can be swapped or combined across the two tiers in the basket.

Aperitif · Greens · Sea · Poultry · Steak & Lamb · Sweet

The Selections

Both selections add all six bottles to your basket in a single click. From there you can swap, remove or combine individual wines — even across the two tiers.

1 · Aperitif from the Ice

Before the first piece of meat goes on the grill, a glass of bubbles, well chilled. Both here are artisan sparkling wines with genuine yeast depth — one a purist Cava from Catalonia, the other a Rheingau Riesling that is far more than a mere aperitif.

Brut Nature

Entry · ca. 18 €

Alta Alella Mirgin Reserva Brut Nature 2022

A purist Cava from the Alella DO near Barcelona — single-varietal Xarello, zero dosage, biodynamic.

One of Catalonia's smallest wine-growing regions, granitic coastal hills with Mediterranean freshness. Single-varietal Xarello, at least 15 months of bottle fermentation, Brut Nature — zero dosage, at just 12 % alcohol. Pale straw-yellow with persistent mousse, on the nose citrus, green apple and sea breeze, with chalk behind. On the palate bone-dry and linear, with saline minerality and a slender body. With oysters and seafood, with grilled fish and herbs — and with a cool glass in hand while the coals glow through.

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30 Months on Lees

Classic · ca. 29 €

P.J. Kühn Riesling Sekt Brut Nature 2019

The Rheingau sparkling wine from biodynamic pioneer Peter Jakob Kühn — Riesling, traditionally bottle-fermented.

Grapes from the estate's higher-altitude sites, traditional bottle fermentation, 30 months on the lees, zero dosage — Brut Nature in its most uncompromising form. Golden-yellow with fine mousse, on the nose pineapple, mango and a hint of ginger, alongside verbena and anise. On the palate dry and taut, with a fine phenolic quality that lends length. With grilled mango and purslane salad, with a poularde terrine — or simply as the most serious glass of the evening, right at the start.

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2 · Greens & Grilled Cheese

Grilled vegetables, halloumi, asparagus with brown butter — these call for whites with herbal savour and salt. Two single-vineyard wines from limestone: Wagram Grüner Veltliner and Franconian Silvaner.

Erste Lage

Entry · ca. 13 €

Fritsch Grüner Veltliner Ried Steinberg 2024

Wagram Veltliner from the limestone single vineyard Steinberg — cool, herbal, with a quiet seriousness.

Erste Lage (1.ÖTW), spontaneously fermented in stainless steel, eleven months on the lees. Lemon balm, chervil and wheatgrass rather than primary fruit, with white peach and nashi pear beneath. On the palate linear, with a saline, chalky texture and an acidity that snaps at the palate. The hot 2024 vintage demanded refrigerated containers and extended skin contact for the first time — yet the result is a sinewy, mineral wine all the same. With grilled pike-perch fillet and herb butter, with asparagus, with young goat's cheese.

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Gelbkalk

Classic · ca. 28 €

Luckert-Zehnthof Silvaner Gelbkalk 2024

Franconian Silvaner from the Sulzfelder Sonnenberg — the variety in its serious, terroir-driven form.

VDP.Erste Lage, south-facing slope on weathered yellow Muschelkalk, spontaneously fermented in large oak casks, dry in the Franconian style. Salted dough, chalk and grilled pineapple, alongside a spice palette of allspice, caraway, anise and coriander seed. On the palate powerful and taut, underpinned by an acidity (5.8 g/l) remarkable for Silvaner; the chalky texture gains with every sip. Vines up to 52 years old. With Franconian Schäufele, with asparagus and brown butter, with aged Comté.

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3 · From the Sea

Gambas, sardines, salmon from the grill, oysters as a prelude — saltwater calls for salt in the glass. The Atlantic meets Kimmeridge: Albariño from Galicia, Chablis from Burgundy.

Atlantic

Entry · ca. 16 €

Attis Xión Albariño 2024

Albariño from Val do Salnés, the finest sub-zone of the Rías Baixas — maritime and mineral, pergola-trained above the Atlantic.

100 % Albariño, pergola-trained on granite-rich sand with a view to the Atlantic, four months on the lees, no malolactic. White peach, passion fruit and garden mint, with wet stone beneath and a salty sea breeze. On the palate juicy and dense, yet held in check by snappy acidity, a saline thread running throughout. Made for grilled fish, scallops, Pulpo a la Gallega — or simply the first round of gambas off the grill.

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Kimmeridge

Classic · ca. 26 €

de l'Enclos Chablis 2023

Chablis from Kimmeridge limestone — Chardonnay with Loire freshness and Burgundian finesse.

100 % Chardonnay from over 15 hectares around Chablis, La Chapelle and Beine, hand-harvested, direct-pressed, spontaneously fermented, aged in multi-year oak barrels that lend complexity. Surprisingly expressive: lemon, lime and blackcurrant, with almond behind and the chalky minerality of the Kimmeridge. On the palate precise acidity over an almost powdery texture. It cuts effortlessly through butter sauces — with oysters, grilled sea fish, scallops or a poultry terrine.

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4 · Poultry & BBQ — lightly chilled

Chicken from the grill, spare ribs, sausages, a board of charcuterie: for these, two reds go into the ice bath. At twelve degrees they become juicy and cool — the most important trick of summer.

Lightly Chilled

Entry · ca. 20 €

Occhipinti SP68 Rosso 2024

Arianna Occhipinti's most immediately drinkable bottle — Frappato and Nero d’Avola from reddish limestone near Vittoria, biodynamic.

Named after the road through the vineyards, with just 12.5 % alcohol, spontaneously fermented, aged in concrete, minimally sulphured. Strawberry, cherry and violet, snappy acidity, fine tannins, Mediterranean spice. Bright ruby, light-footed, full of drinking pleasure. Lightly chilled, the ideal companion to charcuterie, grilled tuna and pasta alla Norma — the quintessential terrace wine for warm evenings.

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Cru · Carbonique

Classic · ca. 32 €

Bret Brothers Brouilly «Zen» 2023

Pure Gamay from the southernmost Beaujolais cru — purist, almost sulphur-free, from clay-limestone and blue schist.

0.7 hectares across two parcels — clay-limestone Pilonière and a plot of blue schist. 100 % Gamay, fully destemmed, fermented by macération carbonique, aged in used barriques. Pale crimson, on the nose sour cherry, raspberry and pomegranate, verbena and liquorice. On the palate fresh and juicy, with fine-grained tannin. Lightly chilled with coq au vin, pink-roasted duck breast, grilled tuna or a terrine.

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5 · Steak & Lamb — the Main Event

When the entrecôte is developing its char and the rack of lamb with herb crust goes on the grill, structure and spice are called for. Syrah from the northern Rhône, then a biodynamic Bordeaux that redefines the Côtes de Bourg.

Pure Syrah

Entry · ca. 16 €

Du Coulet «Petit Ours» rouge 2024

The entry-level wine from Du Coulet of Cornas — relaxed seriousness, single-varietal Syrah from the north.

From the house rooted in Cornas; even under the broader Côtes-du-Rhône label, the "little bear" carries its artisan ethos. Single-varietal Syrah from granite and schist shows the cooler side of the variety: dark berries, olives and black pepper, with the meaty, spicy depth of the northern Rhône. Medium body, velvety tannins. With grilled lamb, merguez from the grill, a burger with caramelised onions.

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Biodynamie · Bourg

Classic · ca. 51 €

Château Falfas «le Chevalier» 2019

The quietly compelling biodynamic discovery on the right bank — le Chevalier is Falfas's premium cuvée from vines up to 75 years old.

Bayon, Côtes de Bourg, a terrace of clay and limestone. Around 70 % Cabernet (Sauvignon and Franc), 30 % Merlot, vines up to 75 years old, max. 29 hl/ha, natural yeasts, 24 months in barrique. Véronique Cochran works biodynamically — her father was the celebrated consultant François Bouchet. A crystal-clear blueberry leads, followed by cassis, cedar and graphite, the tannin fine-grained, the acidity the backbone. With rack of lamb and herb crust, Bœuf bourguignon, saddle of venison — or with a great cut of beef from the grill.

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6 · Sweet Finale & Cheese

Grilled peaches, a cheeseboard, panna cotta — the evening ends sweetly, but never heavily. A gently sparkling Moscato with low alcohol and a Vouvray that carries its sweetness with dignity.

Light & Sparkling

Entry · ca. 16 €

Vietti Moscato d’Asti 2025

Moscato d’Asti from Vietti — the world-renowned Barolo producer demonstrates its mastery in the sweet register too.

Muscat from limestone-rich Piedmontese hills, brief fermentation that preserves the natural residual sweetness and delicate mousse. Beguilingly aromatic: white peach, orange blossom and rose petal, with sage alongside. On the palate light-footed, never cloying; the low alcohol makes it exceptionally easy to drink. With grilled peaches, fruit tart, panna cotta or Gorgonzola dolce — or solo as an aperitivo at the close of a long evening.

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Demi-Sec

Classic · ca. 34 €

Huet Le Haut-Lieu demi-sec 2020

Vouvray from the founding vineyard of Huet — one of the world's most reliable addresses for Chenin.

Single-varietal Chenin Blanc from Le Haut-Lieu, the plateau with Aubuis topsoil over four metres of yellow tuffeau limestone, spontaneously fermented, in used demi-muids. 20 g/l residual sugar meets a finely chiselled acidity that keeps the wine feather-light despite 13.5 % — almost like a great Mosel Kabinett. Nashi pear and golden apple, white blossom, damp stone. With prawn kebabs from the grill, with blinis and trout caviar, with dishes carrying a gentle heat, or with the cheeseboard.

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The Selections

Add directly to your basket:

One click adds all six bottles to your basket at once. From there you can swap, remove or combine individual wines — even across the two tiers. It is a suggestion, not a fixed set.

Warm regards from Berlin,

David & the team at
Living Wines

P.S.: From the Prosecco to the Falfas, almost everything drinks beautifully from a single glass — the Zalto Universal. Sparkling wine is mostly served in a white wine glass these days anyway, and the Bordeaux needs volume — the Universal handles both. The only glass we'd take out onto the terrace.