Vinos y Más, Schöneberg

I visited Winterfeldtplatz Market last Saturday.  The Steckerlfisch guys weren’t there so I picked up an okaish Raclette sandwich instead.  Feeling sated, I wandered down the streets that lead off the market.  I picked up the cards of two “potential future visit” places Winterfeld & April.  Just when I was thinking the Raclette was so heavy that I could probably skip dinner, I saw the diminutive Vinos y Más.

“Well maybe just the smallest nibble then…” I thought.

Vinos y Más is about 50 square meters in total, with a seating capacity for 15-20 people. Karin, the owner, presides over the scene like a mother hen.  On this Saturday afternoon, her “chicks” were made up of a big group of older gay men, a middle-aged couple and another table of 4 gay men.  The larger group all referred to her by her first name. Karin was attentive to their every need, throwing in a throaty chuckle whenever one of them said something funny to her.Gay men are known to have very discerning taste and they can be down right pernickety when it comes to details.  Because I am incredibly high maintenance (I think when Hans Christian Andersen wrote the Princess and the Pea had me in mind) and I am all about the details - I usually assume that if they like it, then I will too.

As the name implies, Vinos y Más has wine and more.  You can come in, pick a bottle and be on your way.  Or you can sit down and order a bottle or a glass along with some nibbles in the form of cold cuts, cheeses and olives.  It doesn’t sound like much but it is the care and detail with which it is all executed that makes it special.  If you order a bottle of wine, it will come with a napkin tied around its neck so neatly, you’ll think the bottle has a black tie evening to attend.  The cold cuts are thinly sliced and arranged prettily on a plain white dish.

Even though it’s not my style, I love the gold putti lights dangling over the bar, the gilded mirrors, the sturdy blond wooden chairs, the marble countertop, and the candelabra with lit candles in it even during the day.

My favorite detail is the glass cabinet on the back wall.  It’s about the size of one you might find in your grandmother’s house.  When you give your order, the door is opened with a whoosh and the suitable glass is chosen.I can easily imagine coming in here with a girl friend and passing a couple of hours, sipping, nibbling and gossiping - maybe sharing just a little too much, as our cheeks turn ruddy from the wine.

I stayed until 4:00 p.m. when Karin startled me out of my revery with the tinkle of a brass bell to signal last orders.  I turned up my collar and took to the Autumnal streets. The drive home took me through the avenues of the Tier Garten, speeding down to the Victory Memorial and back to real life…

Vinos y Más
(Spanische Weine + Feinkost)
Nollendorfstr. 15
10777 Berlin
No website
Tues-Friday 14:00 - 22:00
Saturday 11:00 - 16:00