For passionate wine lovers, the outstanding wine list reads like pure vinological poetry: over 900 items, 50% Riesling, extensive vintage depth for many top wines, and two lovingly cultivated wine cellars. The Michelin-starred restaurant "Steins Traube" lives up to its name and has more than earned its effusive praise and all the awards for its wine selection. Above all, in the almost village-like idyll of Mainz's Finthen district, guests can enjoy outstanding, international, and at the same time down-to-earth cuisine in this traditional restaurant.

Restaurateur and chef Philipp Stein has traveled extensively: after completing his training in Mainz, he gained experience in top-class gastronomy on luxury cruise ships. The chef spent a year and a half at sea, gaining inspiring culinary experience with Dieter Müller on the MS Europa and MS Europa 2. In 2013, he proudly presented delicious exotic dishes at an unforgettable event menu entitled "Journey Around the World" at his parents' restaurant. Later, the young chef learned how to run a sustainable Michelin-starred restaurant from Helmut Thieltges at the legendary three-star Waldhotel Sonnora in the Eifel region.

At the Favorite Gourmet Restaurant, the rising star earned the title of "Germany's youngest star chef" at the age of 24. It was here that he fell in love with restaurant manager Alina: they married in 2019 and took over his parents' restaurant. They are the sixth generation to run the business – the seventh is still in daycare and school. Philipp Stein's cooking style reflects his way of life: international with a classic foundation, sometimes Asian, but always with regional influences. During a tour of the property, Philipp points out traces of the past: "My grandfather was a farmer, and he used to work with these tools!" The agricultural tools decorate the wall in the "Traubenstube," a room for family celebrations, which is furnished in the style of a country inn. Chickens run around in the garden, and fresh kitchen herbs grow in the flower beds. Regional sources of supply are a matter of course for Philipp Stein: "Asparagus from Finthen, fresh strawberries from my cousin."

Head in the world, feet at home: the cellar used to be used for potatoes, but today it serves as a decoratively converted wine cellar for national wines. "I take care of the wine purchasing myself. My father was very interested in wine, so I was able to build on that," says the Michelin-starred chef. The focus is on wines from Rheinhessen – from up-and-coming new discoveries to the top winemakers, the who's who of the German wine scene is represented. Some wines even have more than a dozen vintages: "Some guests order different vintages and compare them," Philipp has observed.

The second wine cellar, with its sophisticated lighting, stores high-quality international wines – including very old vintages such as a 1919 Château Lafite Rothschild or a 1949 Château Margaux. Restaurant manager Alina Stein knows how to convey the wine concept to gourmet guests. Sommelière Maria Vizsnyai is one of the best in Germany. She visits the wineries to understand the winemakers' philosophy. Restaurant guests are happy to order wine pairings with the grand menu – a true vinological experience at Stein's Traube. Some even speak of a "magical liaison between culinary delights and wine poetry."

The Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award 2024 in the category "Wine Gastronomy National and International" goes to Steins Traube. The jury particularly praises the range, vintage depth, and quality of the wine selection.