In the third edition of a fine wine series, wine writer Peter Keller picks his top-five in Basel’s restaurant scene.
Restaurants face tough times due to the coronavirus crisis: lunches have fallen out of favor as thousands of office workers head home. Evenings are marked by restraint, and corporate dinners have fallen victim to restrictions on larger gatherings.
Despite the tough times, diners should still indulge periodically. We looked at the wine menus available at Basel’s restaurants for breadth and depth but found some peculiarities as well. For example, one restaurant will serve any of its wines by the glass if visitors purchase at least 3 deciliters. Another maintains a tiny wine menu but rotates the selection when its food menu.
1. Teufelhof, Restaurant Bel Etage
This well-known operation wins with a broad selection that hits all the main wine regions. Focus in Europe, including countless locally-produced wines from the Basel area and Baden in neighboring Germany. Jauslin’s 2018 Sauvignon blanc for 69 Swiss francs is a good choice. Teufelhof’s selection of French wines, mainly Bordeaux and Burgundy, is excellent. An 2017 Cornas Granit 20 from rising star Vincent Paris in the northern Rhône valley is a hidden gem (83 francs).
The restaurant offers roughly 20 wines by the glass and about 30 in smaller bottles. Its selection of 30 larger formats is just as enjoyable. Vintage lovers get their due: the 1988 Château Mouton-Rothschild isn’t exactly cheap (490 francs), but it’s a bargain against the 700 francs or more than current years are going for. www.teufelhof.com
2. Restaurant zum Wilde Maa
This neighborhood haunt has the simplest wine menu imaginable: 30 different offerings, all of excellent quality, and all available by the glass. A beautiful 2017 Riesling Hollerin Smaragd produced by Leo Alzinger in Austria’s Wachau (73 francs a bottle or 11 francs for a glass) or an 2015 Pinot Noir Lindenwingert from Graubuenden’s talented Jan Luzi (71 francs for a bottle and 11 francs a glass), for example.
When the food menu changes, the restaurant swaps out the wine menu as well. Insiders know the Wilde Maa maintains a special wine menu with countless gems. Where else can you find a highly-sought-after 2018 by Graubuenden producers Daniel and Martha Gantenbein for 140 francs? Don’t miss a 2014 Barbaresco Cru Rabaja 2014 for 80 francs produced by Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative in Italy’s Piedmont turning out reliably high-quality wines. www.zumwildemaa.ch
3. Restaurant Ufer 7
This restaurant emphasizes local products – including the wine. The menu isn’t static and changes regularly. The availability of any wine by the glass, provided guests purchase at least 3 deciliters, is a particularly endearing trait, and one which others could copy. From Switzerland, a 2019 Pinot blanc produced by Annatina Pelizzatti from Jenin for 76 francs is a smooth start. Fans of Riesling should take in the 2019 «Just Riesling» dry made by German vineyard Hermannsberg nearby, which is priced fairly at 63 francs. For red, I can recommend an 2018 Rosso del Ticino Sottoroccia by Tenuta San Giorgio from Malcantone for 65 francs. For those set on foreign wines, a 2016 Tuscan La Goia 2016 by Riecine is a good bet, the Sangiovese runs 102 francs. www.ufer7.ch
4. Restaurant Oliv
Have you ever found yourself not wanting to finish an entire bottle of wine? It’s been said to happen occasionally – and it’s no problem at Oliv. The restaurant provides a «wine bag» to transport half-full bottles home safely. Unlike other restaurants, BYO isn't a problem for Oliv either, which charges 35 francs corkage if you do bring your own. The wine menu is manageable, not too large, and mainly European. It includes gems like a 2016 Sancerre Les Calcaires made by Lucien Crochet from the Loire Valley, a nuanced Sauvignon blanc for 98 francs.
An 2018 Arneis Roero made by Matteo Correggia from Piedmont – 57 francs – is another white wine alternative. Reds include a 2014 Château Montus by Alain Brumont in Madiran, a producer that achieved cult status several years ago has been quieter more recently. That’s reason enough to try the wine, made with Tannat grapes (83 francs). An 2016 Tuscan Chianti Classico by Cantina Fontodi for 77 francs is a less tannin-intensive option. www.restaurantoliv.ch
5. St. Alban Stuebli
The restaurant offers a convincingly vast wine menu with several top European producers. Eight wines are offered by the glass, as well as roughly one dozen in smaller bottles. This may be a good time to try a Barbaresco produced by Italian star Angelo Gaja in Piedmont – small bottles of 2015’s harvest cost 145 francs. In normal-size, an 2013 Sammarco made by Castello di Rampolla in Tuscany is an excellent option.
The complex cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Merlot more than worth its 112 franc price tag. Spanish wine lovers will note the 2016 Les Terrasses made by Alvaro Palacios in the Priorat county, at 76 francs. Fans of Bordeaux should not miss the 1995 Château La Lagune (138 francs). And last but not least, for white wine, the 2016 Riesling Smaragd by Austrian star vintner Emmerich Knoll from Wachau is a revelation (92 francs). www.stalbanstuebli.ch
