The Hugos team discovers the ideal wine at a vineyard in Bechtheim

InterContinental Life

Sommelier Michael Köhle, restaurant manager Olaf Rode, wine-maker Jochen Dreissigacker and award-winning chef Thomas Kammeier in the wine cellar. © Dreissigacker

A rough diamond in the wine cellar

On Valentine’s Day, the three-man team from award-winning restaurant “Hugos” (InterContinental Berlin) set off on an expedition to Bechtheim in Rheinhessen. The little village is home to wine-maker Jochen Dreissigacker. The aim of their mission was to taste the wine. Little did award-winning chef Thomas Kammeier, restaurant manager Olaf Rode and sommelier Michael Köhle suspect that they were to discover the first “Hugos Wine”.

And this is how it happened …

InterContinental Life: Why Jochen Dreissigacker of all people?
Olaf Rode: We have known him and have been keeping an eye on him for ages, practically since Hugos opened. We love his no-compromise attitude when it comes to authenticity and quality.
Thomas Kammeier: He is exactly in line with the Hugos philosophy.

InterContinental Life: Valentine’s Day – that’s mid February. Isn’t that a bit early for wine tasting?
Michael Köhle: Sure. Some of the wines were still cloudy, some were still bubbling in the barrels. But this was the only time we could manage in a long time.

InterContinental Life: So you sat in the estate’s idyllic wine cellar and tried what you could?
Michael Köhle: Spot on. And it was exciting. Finding a wine that’s like a rough diamond is really special.

InterContinental Life: Was there a surprise in there?
Olaf Rode: You could say that!
Thomas Kammeier: Yes, we made a surprising discovery, we found OUR wine.

InterContinental Life: Aha! How did that happen?
Michael Köhle: We tried a Grauburgunder, which is also known as Pinot Gris. It wasn’t ready to drink, but we could tell it had real potential. We got really excited by it! Then we spoke to Jochen Dreissigacker about how we would present the wine when it was ready.

InterContinental Life: How can the wine-maker influence the wine?
Michael Köhle: Jochen Dreissigacker has various Grauburgunders in his cellar. Some are in steel tanks, others in wooden barrels. He can use these different wines to produce a cuvée, or a mixture. The character of the wine changes depending on which Grauburgunder he uses for the cuvée.
Thomas Kammeier: We wanted a wine which tasted elegant but also natural. A wine that would go with our food at hugos, but would also taste good on the balcony at home.

InterContinental Life: So would it be disrespectful to suggest that Jochen Dreissigacker cobbled together a Grauburgunder.
Olaf Rode: It would be a bit rude, as it takes a great deal of knowledge, passion and instinct to produce a decent cuvée. and Jochen Dreissigacker has all of that: so let’s say he didn’t cobble it together, he created it.

InterContinental Life: Do you know yet whether it has turned out as you wanted?
Michael Köhle: The first bottle has just arrived. We were really excited and tasted it straight-away. and the unanimous verdict was that it was perfect! exactly the wine we thought it would be.
Thomas Kammeier: Absolutely!
Olaf Rode: Some of our guests have also tried the wine already, and the feedback has been consistent, it’s a great wine.

InterContinental Life: So Jochen Dreissigacker’s Grauburgunder is the first “Hugos Wine”!
Michael Köhle: Spot on. it has our logo on the label. We bought around 600 litres, which is about 500 normal bottles and a few magnums.

InterContinental Life: So there is enough there to sell to guests who like it on a take-away basis?
Olaf Rode: Correct. if guests ask, we are happy to share a little of our treasure, at a take-away price, of course.

InterContinental Life: Which dishes does the Hugos wine go best with?
Thomas Kammeier: Light fish dishes, seafood or poultry. But it also goes with cheese, like Vacherin Mont d’or, or with potatoes.

InterContinental Life: When will we see a Hugos red wine
Michael Köhle: We are already on the look-out ...