Sticks & Stones, Munich, Germany
Last Visit: February 2024
We have already talked about and reported on many high-quality, award-winning cocktail bars on LiquidThoughts. This time it's going to be a bar too, but one that serves what mankind has probably been consuming for over 11,000 years and which we are also increasingly focusing on here: Wine. So I'm all the more delighted that the truly unique Sticks & Stones in Munich is the first wine bar on our site to get its well-deserved article.
Only opened last summer, it is worth mentioning what the USP, the unique selling point, of this wine temple is, apart from Justin Leone himself, of course:
Almost 700 wines by the glass. By the glass. You read that right. While even in good restaurants, heck, even in other places that call themselves “wine bars”, you'll be annoyed that sometimes there are only 15 wines open — none of which are worth more than €15-25 by the bottle — here there's a proverbial bottomless (wine)barrel. According to their own information, they have the largest selection of “wine by the glass”, at least in Europe, maybe even worldwide. This is owed to two aspects in particular. On the one hand, the Vinitas system from Coravin, which was introduced last year. Just like at a miniature bottling line, a bottle can be decanted into 100 milliliter glass ampoules under an air seal using argon gas; there were only around 50 systems worldwide when the bar opened. This also means that if you order one of the more expensive wines in particular, a glass together with a simple, numbered sample from the stock library will be placed in front of you. This way you can pour as much as you like. Of course, the actual bottle will also be brought up on request. The other factor is Justin himself, because on the one hand it requires a lot of work and effort to conceptualize such a library in the first place, to keep it up to date, to maintain it, etc. On the other hand, because many of the bottles come from his private collection and are made available here for the bar. I don't know which of the two is more impressive.
Speaking of Justin, a few words about him personally. Musically trained since early childhood (just ask for details yourself when you are there), he is known in the industry for his comparisons between wine and music(ians). As an author of books and someone being in front of the camera when it comes to wine, two stations in particular stand out on a professional level, even if you are someone with only general knowledge of gastronomy. On the one hand, 15 years ago, he was a sommelier at the legendary Alinea Restaurant, an absolute cult 3-star restaurant in Chicago, that famously also appeared on Chef's Table for example. Having moved to Munich over 10 years ago, he was then chef sommelier at the famous Tantris, the biggest name in the Bavarian capital and blessed with 2 stars. Here he was responsible for the massive development and expansion of the wine list, especially the overseas section, and later bought back large parts of it. Following that, he was also briefly at Grapes wine bar, which we will also report on later. This was followed by the realization of an incredibly ambitious idea: his own wine bar, with as many special wines as possible and also for people who don't want to put down €500-750 for a whole bottle, but simply want to try lots of exciting wines. Visually, it could also be in Chicago, or even Tokyo. Modern, timeless, beautiful in detail, playing with natural materials such as wood and fabrics, as well as small details from Justin's life: the guitar of course can't be overlooked.
Two keywords from the last paragraph were also immediately apparent when the beautifully leather-bound menu, this opus, was handed over: Music & Overseas. On the one hand, from the very beginning and throughout the entire menu, there are repeated illustrations and explanatory texts emphasizing the connection between wine and music from Leone's personal and intimate point of view. In general, individual grape varieties and other topics are explained in detail but never in a dry, lecturing way. It would certainly take half an hour just to read everything with interest. You most likely won't find a wine menu like this again. The selection also has great wines from Europe, but the real star of the menu, and therefore exactly to my taste, is the “New World” section, especially the US and Australia stand out with a unique selection. Want to travel back to 1980s California (a reminder: by the glass…)? Opus One 1986? Got you covered. Stag's Leap Insignia, 1989? Yep…
The food menu is rather small, as they wanted to concentrate more on the delicacies that Justin himself was served by winegrowers on his travels. This means an extremely high-quality selection of, for example, various cheeses, salami, etc. When I visited, Sunday was also pasta day and for a total price of just under €30 you get the aforementioned salami and cheese, a salad of pickled tomatoes and cucumber, and a fantastic pasta al tartufo as the main course. This is currently no longer the case, but they will certainly come up with new ideas. There are always small events and changes on site, soon, for example, there will also be “guest shifts” (similar to those in the cocktail industry) by sommeliers from other locations. A very cool concept!
Of course, the boss is not the only one on site, during my visit there was also a nice French gentleman working behind the counter. He was open-minded and friendly, and of course an interesting addition to this environment with his expertise, especially about his country of origin. Justin himself was also a pleasant and open conversation partner, answering all questions calmly, offering ideal advice and sometimes also engaging in exciting discussions with his coworker about the perfect choice of wine for me. What I liked most was our conversation about wine bars in general and Germany in particular. Especially how he was, quote, “annoyed at how many other sommeliers or wine bar owners simply don't want to put in the effort to offer something special”, to do the bit of extra work for it. Of course, this point he made was not about such a selection as he has here, but I can only agree, and it reminded me immediately of my thoughts on many frustrating cocktail bar visits: “Just a little more effort, a little more passion — not even necessarily much more money or risk — and it could be much better and more exciting here”.
You can find the three fascinating wines that were tasted on site in a short tasting report published separately. In keeping with the focus of the bar, it consisted of two Australians and one American, all well-known names for insiders and great wine artists with sustainable production: the Quartz Chardonnay from Bindi, Les Cinq Pinot Noir from Paradigm Hill and another Pinot Noir from the Savoy Vineyard by Littorai.
In just one short visit, the Sticks & Stones Terroir Bar has become one of those magical places that you can't stop thinking about and actually wish were in your own hometown so you could pop in every week and immerse yourself in a different world. Hey, Mr. Leone, Cologne is also very fond of wine, there's bound to be a property for a second project…
What remains are these long-lasting moments of fascination for a location, but even more so the people behind it and the passion and associated work they put into their projects, which sets them apart from the “Yeah, quite nice here” rest of the pack. Few things are more inspiring than this commitment, even without a huge venue, fancy gimmicks for Instagram hype or a large food menu. This is where the wine, the authentic and fantastic host and the friendly and knowledgeable staff speak for themselves — in other words, everything that really counts for people who are genuinely passionate about their interests as well.
/rds
Just an excerpt from the USA section of the huge menu:
