RHEINGAU GOURMET & WINE FESTIVAL

18 days of great experiences. So I would describe "Gourmet and Wine Festival".
But let's start from the beginning.
This year was the 24th and I had the opportunity to experience this atmosphere for the third time, for which I am very grateful. We don't have this kind of event in Slovakia, which is a shame. In 18 days, dozens of Michelin-starred chefs from around the world will present themselves with their teams and menus. Well, it wouldn't work without good wine. The best wines from all over Europe, but especially from Germany, are tasted there. White, red, dry, sweet, biennial or centuries, but also harder alcohol..
This event takes place under the patronage of the KronenschlösschenHotel, which is about an hour from Frankfurt.

This year, exactly 28 great chefs attended the Gourmet & Wine Festival, for example:
1. Christian Bau*** (Germany, Perl)
2. Torsten Michel*** (Germany)
3. Klaus Erfort*** (Germany)
4. Tohru Nakamura** (Germany/Japan)
5. Soenil Bahador** (Holland)
6. Thomas Martin** (Germany, Hamburg)
7. Vincenzo Candiano** (Italy)
8. Vineet Bhatia* (UK/India)
9. Reuben Riffel (South Africa, Cape Town)

Rheingau Gourmet & Wine Festival
The first day runs as a wine and food tasting, you can taste from a number of wines, where each brand is presented as well as chefs with their teams, approximately 8-10 of them are chefs and also vineyards company.
The following days are in the form of 3-5 hours lunch or dinner. Chef and his team present themselves at lunch and dinner every day. During lunch / dinner, try a 4-7 course menu and 12-20 wines that explain the number of glasses on the table.
It is simply an experience that you will not experience every day. The highest quality ingredients in the world with the best wines are served.
The last day takes place as a “haus- und küchenparty”, which means that you can buy a ticket and eat at different places in the hotel where the chefs cook. On this day, one can also look into the kitchen and see how this is done when preparing meals.

Origin and importance of Michelin Stars
The Michelin star means the quality of the restaurant. The stars are not awarded to the chef himself, but to the entire restaurant.

Michelin stars began to emerge in 1900 when Mr. André Michelin, yes, who owned the famous tires, began to label quality restaurants in his Michelin Guide and to give them stars from 1 to 3.
30 years later (1926) he started sending anonymous reviewers to restaurants to rate restaurants.

Meaning of Michelin stars
1* very good restaurant in its category, food is prepared to a high standard, a good place to stop during your trip

2* deliciouscuisine with carefully selected dishes of excellent quality, the restaurant is worth a tour on your way

3* reštaurácia stojí za osobitnú cestu, čo znamená výnimočnú kuchyňu, ktorá ponúka neobyčajný kulinársky zážitok. Výrazné jedlá sú precízne pripravené pomocou tých najlepších a najčerstvejších ingrediencií

On the other hand, the Michelin star means a lot of stress these days. When I watch the work with a 3 * chef, I found that the people in the team have a lot of discipline, their work is very clean and they don't talk most of the time. Everything that is needed is discussed in meetings so everyone at work knows what to do and when to do it.

The rating of the restaurant considers cleanliness, quality of the food, originality of the kitchen, but also people who work there. Eating in these restaurants guarantees the highest gastronomic experience. Don't expect large portions. The food is usually smaller, but the art on the plate is guaranteed. If you want to visit the Michelin star restaurant, you have to order it a few months in advance. Most are always reserved.

Finally, I would like to add that we do not have a Michelin star restaurant in Slovakia. You can find some of them in Prague, Vienna or Budapest.

◄ 1 2

photo: credit to Axel Gross & me