Wine

At ginusslande.com, wine is not an off-the-shelf assortment, but a selection that focuses on three wine regions: Germany, Austria, and Italy. Over 800 products, including Rieslings from the Saar, Grüner Veltliner from Weinviertel, Vernatsch from South Tyrol, and elegant Pinot Noirs from the Palatinate. Most of the wines come from family-run wineries whose work we know and with whom we have been collaborating for years.

Wines by Variety — and by Occasion

The initial question when it comes to wine is rarely "Which country?" but rather "What suits tonight?" That's why our assortment is structured by wine type before moving on to regions:

• White Wine (404 wines): Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer — from mineral-lean to oak-aged.
• Red Wine (184 wines): Pinot Noir, Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Lagrein, Cabernet Sauvignon. Light and drinkable as well as concentrated and age-worthy.
• Rosé Wine (44 wines): Saignée, direct press, classic Chiaretto style. Dry, mostly delicate, rarely sweet.
• Sparkling Wine (151 wines): Sekt fermented in the bottle, Champagne, Prosecco & Cava, fruit Seccos and Sparkling Tea.
• Mulled Wine & Punch (14 wines): honest winter wines, spiced with real spices instead of artificial flavors.
• Cider (26 wines): Apple wine in the Breton-Norman style — finely sparkling, often from traditional orchards.

Origin: Three Wine-Growing Countries with Character

Each of the three countries brings its own wine culture, which is reflected in the assortment.

Germany stands for Riesling, Pinot Noir, and a delicate style. Our German winemakers work in Rheinhessen (Wittmann, Gunderloch, Kühling Gillot), in the Palatinate (Knipser, Rings, Philipp Kuhn) and on the Saar (Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken). Many are VDP members, some are organic-certified.

Austria means precise white wine, Grüner Veltliner and cool red wines from Burgenland. With Gernot Heinrich, Fred Loimer, Wohlmuth and Sattlerhof, we feature four of the country's trendsetting estates.

Italy for us is mainly South Tyrol and Lake Garda. Manincor, Kurtatsch and Pasini San Giovanni represent alpine wines with depth, salty Chiarettos and Vernatsch with finesse — no Supertuscans, no flashy labels.

Wine and Food — Specific Pairings

Food pairing is not an exact science with rigid rules, but some combinations almost always work. For plainly grilled fish or asparagus, German or Austrian white wines with a lean body are suitable: Riesling Kabinett, Grüner Veltliner from Kamptal, a dry Pinot Blanc. For pasta with meat sauce, a red wine with fruit and moderate tannin is preferable — a Zweigelt from Neusiedlersee-Hügelland or a Lagrein from South Tyrol.

For dark meat, game, and stews, we recommend German Pinot Noirs from Palatinate or Baden winemakers, Blaufränkisch from Burgenland, or a robust Cabernet blend. Cheese and wine is a chapter in itself: goat cheese and a Sauvignon Blanc, blue cheese and a Riesling with noticeable sweetness, hard cheese and a mature red wine. For dessert, noble sweet Rieslings (Auslese, Beerenauslese) remain the obvious choice.

Regional Selection Instead of World Assortment

Our assortment deliberately focuses on three countries instead of superficially covering a dozen origins. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, we know the wineries we work with personally — we know who cultivates which plot in which way in any given year. Secondly, transportation routes are short: a delivery from Austria to Germany doesn't require air freight, and for Italian wines from South Tyrol, the journey is no longer than for a Riesling from the Saar.

Many of the winemakers work with organic or biodynamic certification (including Manincor, Heinrich, Kühling Gillot). Where this applies, it is stated in the product data sheet; we do not use promotional attributes without a certificate to back them up.

Classification: Which Wine for What?

For orientation: For a light summer meal, many of our customers opt for a Vernatsch from South Tyrol or a Grüner Veltliner. For stews and game, Palatinate Pinot Noir or a Blaufränkisch from Burgenland are suitable. For an aperitif, we recommend a handcrafted Sekt produced by traditional bottle fermentation; for dessert, German Riesling Auslese remains the obvious choice.

Good to know: A note on glass shape and temperature often makes more of a difference than moving to the next more expensive bottle. Red wine at 16 °C instead of 22 °C, white wine at 9–11 °C instead of straight from the fridge. The difference is immediately noticeable.

Delivery and Shipping

We ship wine within Germany in temperature-stable cardboard boxes, and if necessary, as a consolidated shipment over several weeks. All products are delivered ready for storage — away from direct sunlight, not near heating. You can find the exact shipping conditions in the shopping cart.