Stefan Metzner - Our sommelier
"There are only 4 wines in this world: red, white, tastes good and doesn't taste good"
Born in Munich, he now has 30 years of experience in the wine industry. After training as a sommelier, he worked as a sommelier in various Michelin * restaurants before moving into the trade in 1986. After training as a wine academic (WSET Diploma), he passed the examination to become a WSET certified educator and opened a WSET wine school in Munich. In 2014, he won the "Copa Jerez", a renowned sherry competition, and through continuous further training became a "VIA - Italian Wine Ambassador" in 2015 and a "VIA - certified Italian wine educator" in 2019, received the WOSA certificate in 2016, was the first winner in Germany in 2017 and won the grand final in Epernay for the "Laureat - Concours des Ambassadeurs du Champagne". In 2018, he qualified as a certified Rioja educator and in 2019 as a Valpolicella wine specialist.
Through his continuous tastings, whether at the wine school, at wine fairs or through his work as a judge for various wine publications and competitions, Stefan is always up to date with the latest developments in the world of wine. Even after 30 years, his passion for wine is unbroken and his credo remains the same:
"There are only 4 wines in this world: red, white, tastes good and doesn't taste good"
Stefan speaks to us from the bottom of his heart and we are delighted that he tastes wines from cheap to expensive for us and gives us his expert opinion. Because that's what it's all about for him in the end; conveying enjoyment and recommending the right wine for everyone and for every occasion.
MY TASTINGS
I have been tasting wines professionally for 30 years now and there are various scenarios and objectives that play a role in tasting. These include the various tastings such as: at wine fairs, at wineries, at presentations by wineries or winegrowing associations, where the conditions such as time frame, glasses, lighting and sensory influences from the environment vary. In addition, there are tastings under professional conditions in a standardised tasting setup. Tasting wines is a demanding activity in which you try to record and describe all the characteristics of a wine as neutrally and objectively as possible without being influenced by sensory factors in order to produce a reliable tasting note at the end.
All tasting notes and evaluations that I publish here are created exclusively under standardised conditions without time pressure. Tasting and savouring look very similar, but basically have very little in common. While the analytical, concentrated part, i.e. the tasting, should be objectively descriptive, the enjoyment is the subjective impression and makes no claim to general validity. Nevertheless, the importance of enjoyment should not be underestimated, because in the end it is all about finding the wine that offers you the greatest, individual enjoyment "right now" and within the set budget. I would be very pleased if I could offer you good assistance in this.
Stefan Metzner
THE WINE RATING
The rating of wines, whether in the form of stars, glasses, points or other symbols, is the standard in today's wine world. However, the different rating systems are only partially compatible if a linear conversion is to be applied. Wine descriptions in and of themselves, on the other hand, paint a very clear picture of the impression gained by the taster in the snapshot of the tasting. Unfortunately, tasting notes are all too often reduced to the point value. This harbours risks, as wines in the most sought-after "90 points or more" category often do not meet current wishes and demands. In general, balance, intensity and complexity, concentration and length on the finish are used as evaluation criteria when assessing the quality of wines. For some tasters, other points such as ageing potential and the typicity of the wine are also decisive factors, but there are wines that are vinified for immediate enjoyment and so the assessment of ageing potential is not necessary. In addition, these wines do not necessarily have to be enormously complex, which means that the enjoyment value of a wine rated 84 to 87 that will soon be drunk can be higher than that of a higher-rated wine that still needs a few years of bottle ageing. In addition, the ratings are made without taking into account the price of the wines, so that the price/enjoyment ratio has no influence. For example, a wine from an unknown wine-growing region may be superior to wines from classic regions in this respect without receiving a higher rating. If you are looking for an uncomplicated, clean "terrace wine" for every day, you are sure to find it in the category "Balanced, varietal wines with above-average quality" and choose a wine that fulfils the requirement profile exactly, even if it "only" has 85, 86 or 87 points. To make it easier for you to find the "perfect match" for the respective situation, you will find a summary of the essence of each wine in the style notes in each tasting note.
I would be delighted if I were able to provide you with a good guide for your wine selection.
| 20 points system | 100 points system | Ratings | |
| 20 | 100 | Unique | |
| 19,8 -19,6 | 99 - 98 | Great | |
| 19,4 - 18,8 | 97 - 94 | Outstanding | - Exceptional |
| 18,6 - 18 | 93 - 90 | Excellent | - Impressive wines with complexity and depth, pronounced typicity and very good ageing potential
|
| 17,8 - 17,6 | 89 - 88 | Very good | - Very good wines with expression |
| 17,4 - 17 | 87 - 85 | Well-balanced wines typical of the grape variety | - Quality well above average |
| 16,8 - 16,4 | 84 - 82 | Very decent | - Typical varietal wines for immediate everyday consumption |
