Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg is home to much beauty: especially the monumental National Monument by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, from which an artificial waterfall—modeled after the cascading waters of the Giant Mountains—roars down the hill. Anyone strolling through the park might expect many things (perhaps even a techno rave in the middle of an enchanted forest), but certainly not a vineyard in the heart of this trendy neighborhood.
If you look away from the “roaring” waters of the 66-meter-high Kreuzberg (Berlin’s Everest) and toward the southern slope, you’ll discover: real grapevines.
A Taste of Kreuzberg: The Hidden Vines in Viktoriapark
A tradition is being revived
Sure, the capital is better known today for Futschi and Berliner Luft . Nevertheless, winemaking here has a centuries-old history dating back to the 13th century. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that Berlin’s winemaking industry was revived. On a small but exquisite plot in Viktoriapark, grape varieties such as Riesling and Pinot Noir were cultivated .
It goes without saying that Berlin is not a classic wine-growing region, neither climatically nor logistically . That’s why the savvy Kreuzberg winemakers maintain a close partnership with the sister city of Wiesbaden. There, the Berlin grapes are expertly pressed and bottled.
If you’d like to be “pressed and bottled,” we recommend checking out this show, which combines wine tasting with comedy!
The city’s most exclusive wine is called “Kreuz-Neroberger”
Image: Pexels
The result is a super-limited edition of “Kreuz-Neroberger.” Most of the bottles are stashed away by the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office and only brought out for representative purposes . (What, and my dinner with the Atzen isn’t representative?)
But we have good news: While you can’t just buy Kreuz-Neroberger at the corner store, you can purchase it for a donation of €10 at the FHXB Museum shop at Kottbusser Tor .
Every bottle of this wine is a piece of Berlin history and a true collector’s item. Why not stop by for a stroll through the vines and enjoy a glass of Kreuz-Neroberger beneath the waterfall in Viktoriapark!
