A winter fairytale in red and white
There are things you only do in winter: looking for gloves that always disappear one by one, wondering whether it’s “too cold / too warm / too wet for mulled wine” and then holding the mug of steaming winter drink in your hand. Perhaps it’s the mixture of warmth, wine and a hint of nostalgia that makes us inevitably say: “This is Christmas.” At the Lübeck Christmas market you will find mulled wine that tells stories. Of harbors and starry forests, of lilac berries and Scandinavian glögg.
Whether in delicate white, deep red, fruity, spicy or with a touch of extravagance: Yvonne Heistermann, President of the Sommelier-Union Deutschland, gets to the heart of the matter.
“A good mulled wine should really taste like wine. Not acrid or fizzy, but with aromas of Christmas spices and a hint of sweetness.”
Join me for the Lübeck ZWISCHENZEILEN on a tour of seven stands where you’ll find the taste of winter. And maybe a little magic too. We have linked a digital map at the bottom to help you find your way around.
7 towers – 7 tips
Wide street
Let’s start right away with one of my favorite projects and make our way to the stand of the lodge“Zu den sieben Türmen” at the entrance to Lübeck Town Hall. Here, you support a very good cause with every cup of lilac berry punch you drink. The lodge has been running the bar on a voluntary basis for many years together with members of the Kiwanis Club and the Roundtable Club. The lilac berry punch is prepared according to an old family recipe that is guarded like a little treasure. If you wish, you can refine it with a shot of rum or amaretto. The black and purple drink tells stories of caring and community spirit, as the proceeds are used to finance excursions for residents of the city’s retirement and nursing homes, among other things.
Drehbrückenplatz
The sailor’s punch – based on a cuvée of Merlot and Syrah – steams in my cup. It was developed, produced and bottled by the Fangfrisch team in Lübeck. Winter spices and marzipan give this punch its special taste. Not too sweet. That’s how I like punch. Although I also like the apple punch: Apple juice from orchard fruit, ginger and star anise merge to create a warming greeting. The maritime atmosphere mixes with the sounds of live music. At the harbor glow at Drehbrückenplatz is a taste of the region: a sip of Lübeck, a moment of home.
Market
The stand of Bernd Petrick and his Finnish wife Annika Salonen at the traditional Christmas market at the town hall is always crowded. The Christmas punch, in which raisins and hazelnuts dance like the first frost on the window panes, is very popular. My favorite here is “Lumikki” – a white mulled wine, clear and light. White wine has no tannins. It also often contains less alcohol than red mulled wine. Lumikki means snow white, by the way. I only know that because I looked it up. I haven’t yet dared to learn this crazy language with 15 cases. But at least this way I have the taste of Finland in my cup – Nordic and soothingly warming.
Market
Organic mulled wine and marzipan punch – sweet, slightly nutty and surprisingly vegan. Sustainability is celebrated under the mighty fir tree in the heart of Lübeck, without you having to compromise on taste. Incidentally, you will find more and more stalls selling fairly produced products. And when it comes to food and drink, organic is now also the norm in many places. With my marzipan punch in hand, I watch the market visitors strolling past. The traditional Christmas market has been attracting people for centuries. Under the glittering fairy lights, I feel particularly connected to Lübeck.
Koberg
You can get a taste of Estonia in the heart of the Hanseatic city at the Finnish Tallinn stand on Koberg, right next to the Ferris wheel. The operators come to Lübeck from Estonia every year especially for the Christmas market. Estonian mulled wine is made from chokeberries. The black chokeberries are also known as aronia berries. They taste tart and sour and are a really tasty base for this strong mulled wine. The fruits are very healthy as they are rich in antioxidants. Whether this positive health effect is also noticeable when consumed with alcohol is something we might need to check…..
Starry forest
The light of the stars casts delicate shadows on the Schrangen. The starry hut in the starry forest offers 40 seats. The warm lighting, the scent of fir branches and the sound of Christmas music create an inviting, relaxed atmosphere inside. Here you can easily meet others, get into conversation and enjoy the small pleasures of the Advent season together. For me, the Sternenhütte is the perfect mix of conviviality and retreat.
Historic christmas market
A clay cup, rustic and heavy in the hand. Cherry, blackcurrant, elderberry and honey wine merge into a drink that sounds like an echo from a bygone era. The Historic Christmas Market at the foot of St. Marien lives and breathes the Middle Ages: torches flicker, voices murmur and the “Dragon’s Blood” from the Dragon’s Blood Tavern warms you from the inside out.
Lübeck’s Christmas market is not just a place for mulled wine and punch. Here in our blog article “7 tips for the Christmas market” you can find more recommendations for your visit. Enjoy the slow flow of time as the evening drifts over the World Heritage Old Town. You are right in the middle of the magic of Advent.
Our digital stand plan will help you find what you are looking for.
