Tscharke Wines feels like home, if home were your own private cottage get-away in the German Alps. The service counter is small, polished wood atop authentically tiered stones. Floating around the place are real wine barrels, atop which you can do your tasting if it’s busy. The excellent staff will keep you satisfied. Inside, you will feel at home in the best way all the while. Warm lighting and soft wood finishes settle the mind and maximize the tasting experience. You may even be pouring yourself water from a pottery jug the winemakers themselves made! Authenticity rings throughout. But, like Hewitson, the gem of Tscharke’s Place for us is the outdoor area. Cobblestone paths, a fountain, perfectly placed shade trees, lots of vineyard, and blue sky. It’s not to be missed.

Even better than such a special cellar door, you get more than you pay for at Tscharke. Period. And this is very rare for a cellar door. You will find world class wines here selling for as little as $20 a bottle. (We bought a case!) Tscharke achieves this by mostly selling direct and “minimising inputs from our viticulture practices”, so they don’t have to try to claw back margin on cellar door sales. This is the home of lighter styled, but very lively wines. Nothing here is so big it will blow you away, but you can enjoy most of these wines with near anything.