Lübeck Wine

Lübecker Rotspon is the wine to look for in the city. For other bottles you might see on a local list, our Germany Wine guide explains the country’s wine regions and styles.

Rotspon is French red wine brought to Lübeck in bulk and bottled locally. The historic trade is associated with Bordeaux, but H. F. von Melle’s Rotspon range also includes reds from southern France. When buying a bottle, ask where the wine comes from. The French origin helps you distinguish one Rotspon from another.

For grapes grown in Schleswig-Holstein, look to estates such as Ingenhof. It makes whites, rosés, reds, and lightly sparkling wines. If you’re curious how those styles compare, its seasonal café tasting lets you try three of the estate’s wines in one stop.

Stay on the Old Town island for a glass with dinner, a wine bar, or a bottle to take home. Plan vineyard visits separately in the Schleswig-Holstein countryside.

Start at H. F. von Melle on Beckergrube if you want to compare bottles of Rotspon. For a glass with dinner, Schiffergesellschaft on nearby Breite Straße serves it in a former mariners’ guildhall.

Lübecker Weinkontor has a wine bar in the Town Hall courtyard. It’s a convenient stop for a glass and flammkuchen while you’re visiting the Markt and St. Mary’s Church.

On Hüxstraße, stop at Miera Weinbar for a glass with antipasti or visit its neighboring deli to buy a bottle. On parallel Fleischhauerstraße, Nordisches Weinhaus pairs its wine selection with cheese, other deli goods, and marzipan bread.

For a glass with something to eat, choose between Lübecker Weinkontor and Miera Weinbar. Nordisches Weinhaus offers a different kind of tasting stop, with samples and advice when you’re choosing a bottle. For Rotspon with dinner, check the Schiffergesellschaft drinks menu.

• Addresses: Pfaffenstraße 18–20 and Am Markt 16a/b, 23552 Lübeck

Lübecker Weinkontor has two Old Town locations, including one in the Town Hall courtyard. Choose from wines by the glass and order flammkuchen from the oven or a cheese plate.

• Address: Hüxstraße 59, 23552 Lübeck

Miera Weinbar lists more than 150 European wines, with tapas and antipasti alongside them. Drop in for a glass or check the bar’s calendar for a scheduled tasting. Wines on the list are also available to take home.

• Address: Fleischhauerstraße 30, 23552 Lübeck

Nordisches Weinhaus is a wine merchant that offers samples and buying advice. It’s a useful stop if you want to choose a bottle and pick up cheese or Coellman marzipan bread at the same time.

For Lübecker Rotspon, start with H. F. von Melle in the Old Town. The other central merchants are useful for bottles to drink during your stay, while the shops on Marlistraße and in Dänischburg make more sense if you’re already outside the center.

Schleswig-Holstein’s wineries offer three quite different outings from Lübeck. Choose Ingenhof for a farm and cellar visit, Gut Deutsch-Nienhof for a guided vineyard walk, or Schatoh Feldmark for a scheduled tasting in Bargteheide.

• Address: Dorfstraße 19, 23714 Malente-Malkwitz

Ingenhof is a fruit farm and winery in the Holstein Switzerland countryside. When its Feldcafé is open, you can taste three estate wines without booking. If you want to see how the wine is made, book a guided farm and cellar tour. The longer vineyard tour includes a drive from the farm to the vines in your own vehicle.

• Address: Gut Deutsch-Nienhof, 24259 Westensee

The estate’s guided vineyard walk covers about 8 km round trip through the estate woods and takes roughly three hours. You taste the estate’s Kroon 54°15′ wine at the vineyard before walking back. Check for a scheduled date and register before making the trip.

• Tasting location: Bargteheide, Schleswig-Holstein

Schatoh Feldmark makes organic wines from fungus-resistant grape varieties. Its scheduled tastings in Bargteheide pair wines from the estate with small bites. Use the meeting point in your booking confirmation, since the tasting is an event in town.