As our international reach extends further and further, we find that the iDealwine team is becoming quite the blend, with new faces arriving from regions and countries across Europe and beyond. The latest newbie to land at our Paris office – this time from Germany – is Anne, who has joined the International team and is in charge of German marketing.

Anne would have liked to come from a family of wine makers. But whilst this is not a dream that could be realised, our most recent arrival at iDealwine has never been a total stranger to the mondovino. From a young age, she saw what her father’s cellar represented: an appreciation for the nectar and the vintners who produced it. ‘As a child, the cellar was a mysterious place that terrified as much as it fascinated me. My parents bred sheep and we always had a good bottle of red at the table to serve with the delicious dishes that my mother would cook for guests.’

Initially hesitant to discover the world of wine, Anne was very health-conscious in her late adolescence and early twenties, and thus avoided alcohol. When she moved to Frankfurt, she was equally unconvinced by the city’s famous Apfelwein, a drink akin to cider but with a more acidic twist. ‘I really tried to like it, but I just couldn’t get used to it,’ she explains. It was during a trip to Italy with friends, passing through Asti, Lambrusco, then the German region of Rheinhessen, that the penny dropped. Anne became interested in different grape varietals, with Pinot gris, Müller-Thurgau and Chardonnay standing out as her favourites. Pursuing studies in Philosophy, Anne’s interest in wine grew and grew. ‘You might think philosophers are all ascetics, but it’s not true! It’s such a convivial drink, even the most serious thinkers would be happy to share a bottle with those who haven’t understood Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Personally, I think that a glass of Dornfelder or Tempranillo every now and again helped during my long study of Emmanuel Levinas.’

Our newest recruit is the first to admit that she has a lot still to learn about wine, and it’s clear that this desire to discover is a recurring theme in her life. She moved to the German wine region of Baden in 2011 for work, and to the French capital in 2020 for love…before then finding iDealwine! ‘My partner isn’t French but he’s more of a Bordelais than the vintners of the Gironde. He loves Bordeaux wines, especially for their tannins. I prefer a slightly lighter red with notes of cherry, forest fruits, and a hint of vanilla. But we tend to agree on a fruity rosé to enjoy when the weather gets warmer. I can tell you we were both delighted that one of us would be working in wine.’

Which wines would you recommend?

The newest feature on the iDealwine site is a wishlist, and mine has been getting longer with every passing day. One of the highlights is a Côtes-de-Provence Château de Miraval, a taste of Hollywood in Provence! I also like the Pouilly-Fumé Petit Fumé by Michel Redde & fils, in fact the Pouilly-Fumé appellation has been one of my favourites since last year. Going back to my roots, there was an allocation of the week with Markus Molitor a little while ago, and I can confirm that the Riesling Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese is delightful! Robert Parker describes it as ‘fresh, precise, and concentrated (…) with impressive complexity and a long, juicy finish’.

A final tip?

If you’ve bought a bottle of red wine that you’re not so convinced by, you can use it to make a cake!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

150g sugar

1 sachet of vanilla sugar

200g butter

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

250g flour

½ sachet of baking powder

200ml red wine

Icing sugar (for decoration)

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a cake tin.

Whisk the eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla sugar, whisking again until fluffy. Add the butter and mix until well incorporated and smooth. Add the red wine, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together, then add this to the wet mixture. Mix them together.

Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. You can check it’s cooked through by poking the centre with a knife – if the knife comes out clean, your cake is ready!

Sprinkle with a thin layer of icing sugar to finish.

Zum Wohl und Guten Appetit!