Discover Merano – Day 2: Michelin-starred restaurant, wine cellar and Italian cuisine – For the fourth time, this article proclaims, "Merano, here I come!" In previous articles, I told you about Merano, its history, the countryside, its people, and its cuisine (read Article 1 – "Discovering Merano: Countryside, City, People, and Culinary Delights"). Following that, I took you along on my first day exploring the city (Article 2 – "Discovering Merano – Day 1: Gardens, Thermal Baths, Pizza & More"), and most recently, I introduced the Merano Grape Festival (Article 3 – "Discovering Merano | Preview: Grape Festival in Merano"). Now, I'm sharing my second culinary day in Merano, where everything revolved around food and even more food (and drink).
One of my culinary highlights in Merano was a visit to the Michelin-starred Restaurant Sissi. Although I would rarely order a five- or six-course meal for lunch at home, I savored every single bite at the gourmet restaurant run by Michelin-starred chef Andrea Fenoglio. Restaurant Sissi is located in an Art Nouveau building in Merano's city center. Open since 1991, the building formerly housed both a tailor shop and a grocery store, which was eventually converted into a dining room with just six tables. At the same time, the tailor shop became the restaurant's kitchen, thus taking the first steps towards Michelin-starred gastronomy. Today, when you visit Restaurant Sissi, you'll find a few more tables, but the charm of a "small, cozy restaurant" has definitely remained. Only the style and execution of the cuisine have changed significantly under Andrea Fenoglio's direction.
Together with my two companions, I enjoyed an excellent set lunch menu (€85 per person for five courses; €90 per person for seven courses), which—to showcase the diversity of Fenogolios' cuisine—was served to us in slightly different variations. The menu is printed double-sided and presented in A4 format, and the courses change seasonally. Orders can be placed as a (tasting) set menu or à la carte. We were treated to a surprise menu.
Refinement course after course at the Michelin-starred restaurant Sissi
The meal began with an amuse-bouche: "Liquid Pizza Margherita"—intriguing in flavor—followed by a small sphere, as refined in its preparation as its predecessor, served on a tasting spoon with bell pepper, anchovy sauce, olive oil, and garlic. Very delicate, with an interesting flavor and texture. Not quite to my taste and served with too much sauce for my liking, but also creatively executed: the modern Vitello Tonnato with finely pureed yellow bell pepper, mayonnaise-free tuna sauce, and dried tuna caviar on top. My favorite was the "Spaghetti Omega 3" with zucchini and cod liver, served lukewarm afterward—you have to appreciate its very intense fish flavor, but for me personally, it was a bullseye—again, due to its refinement. This was followed by elegantly presented and intensely flavorful potato and spinach gnocchi with fonduta filling and black truffle. My opinion: You can never have too much truffle. 😉 Between courses, there was always a short, perfectly timed break to prepare for the next one. The following course—steamed chanterelles with zucchini, "egg in an egg," and black truffle—was a feast for the eyes and the palate. If you're ever in the area and have the chance to try an "egg in an egg" creation from Restaurant Sissi, don't miss it. Andrea Fenoglio, for example, likes to change the side dish for this course depending on what's in season. The three of us then continued with a different meat course, and from the tender veal shoulder with celery puree, truffle, and truffle sauce, to the roasted duck breast with spelt couscous, and the guinea fowl with parsnips and purple carrots, there was something for everyone. The desserts were equally impressive, offering a wide variety of three options. After the pre-dessert (a "modern South Tyrolean apple strudel" served with a tasting spoon), there was "goat's milk ricotta ice cream with lemon, vanilla, olive oil, and kumquat," "chocolate mousse without cream – served at minus 7 degrees Celsius," and finally, "passion fruit with caviar, mango ice cream, and almond milk foam." Delicious! My personal favorites for a sweet finish were the two ice cream varieties: fresh, light, and a perfect ending to the meal.
A glimpse of the Michelin-starred restaurant Sissi
Each course was paired with a carefully selected regional wine, expertly chosen by the team, presented at the table, and poured. My tip: Be sure to ask for recommendations regarding both the wine and the menu, as well as your food choices. A new experience for me in this upscale restaurant segment was the fact that the bread is placed directly on the bare tablecloth – there's no separate bread plate, let alone butter or olive oil with salt. I also learned that today's Michelin-starred chef, Andrea Fenoglio, came to Merano when he was just eight months old and has now been working at the traditional Sissi restaurant for over 35 years. He loves to pamper his guests with seasonal and regional menus, as well as à la carte creations. I personally highly recommend a visit. If you're looking for more impressions of Restaurant Sissi, I suggest taking a short detour to... Restaurant website It was great to do this, and also to take in the old framed pictures inside the restaurant. Fantastic! I would come back again in a heartbeat.
There is much to see at the Merano wine cellar.
Merano Burggräfler Winery – South Tyrolean Wines
One stop I was particularly looking forward to was the Meran Burggräfler winery, which I visited afterwards. Besides a tour of the winery, my companions and I enjoyed a fantastic tasting of wines from the surrounding Merano vineyards, along with a wealth of expert knowledge. The Meran Burggräfler winery as it exists today has existed since 2010 and was created from a merger twohe rich in traditionr cellar cooperatives, the „Burggräfler Kellerei“ (founded in 1991) and the „Merano Winery“ (founded in 1952). The winery itself, with its deliberately glass-walled design, which you as a wine lover can visit freely at any time, has been open since 2013. There, in the panoramic wine cellar with its 360-degree view, you can not only discover wines but also taste and enjoy them while taking in the breathtaking view over Merano's vineyards and valleys. A highlight for me: almost all the vineyards cultivated by the Merano Burggräfler winery can be seen from the winery's terrace. This fact, of course, was not left to chance and reinforces the Merano Burggräfler winery's position as the central hub of Merano's wine scene.
The more than 400 members, consisting of small and micro-producers, jointly cultivate an area of approximately 260 hectares – plenty of space for excellent South Tyrolean wine. The winery manages the best vineyards in Merano and the surrounding municipalities of Lagundo, Tirolo, Kuens, Riffiano, Scena, Marling, Cermes, Lana, and the sunny Val Venosta. Since many of the vineyards are naturally situated on steep slopes and terraces, the work involved in winemaking for the Merano Burggräfler winery remains predominantly manual. This begins with the meticulous care of the vines, continues with environmentally friendly cultivation methods, and culminates in the manual harvest on the mountain. For the sake of preserving the landscape and nature, numerous landscape gardeners also work at the winery to protect the region, known for its small-scale vineyard structure.
My favorite at the wine tasting and available on site
During the tour of the impressive wine cellar, I learned that every grape is hand-cut and carefully inspected at harvest – consequently, only flawless grapes are processed. The subsequent gentle work processes, combined with innovative cellar technology, decades of experience, and the necessary intuition of the cellar master (Stefan Kapfinger on site), ensure the ultimately perfect South Tyrolean wines, the tasting of which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Meran Burggräfler winery presents its wines in four distinct, characteristic wine lines: 1. „Festival – Classic“ – wines with classic bouquets and a wide variety of grapes, reflecting the diverse Merano landscape with its Mediterranean vegetation, sunny alpine slopes, and snow-capped peaks; 2. „Sonnenberg – Vinschgau“ – wines that highlight the significant temperature fluctuations of the sun-drenched Vinschgau highlands and the region's barren, sandy soils, imbuing them with a unique character and flavor; 3. „Graf – Selection“ – the premium line, traditionally synonymous with high quality, whose wines, with their harmonious bouquets, reflect Merano's varied climate: warm days, cool nights; 4. „Top Weinbergselektion – Vigneti“ – exquisite selection wines produced only in exceptional vintages from select grapes in the best Merano vineyards. My favorite during the tasting, though admittedly not comparable, was the one in the Oak and steel barrel-aged Pinot Blanc "V YEARS" from the "Dorf Tirol" region. Delicious and, served at 10-12 degrees Celsius with the aforementioned magnificent panoramic view from the terrace, a mini-vacation in a glass. Be sure to visit the Meran Burggräfler winery – whether you're a wine connoisseur or a casual drinker. You'll be guided through the world of wine with expertise, warmth, and friendliness, and you're sure to leave with a bottle or two. You can read more about it beforehand. here.
What a steak! Eaten at the Sigmund restaurant in Merano.
Restaurant Sigmund – Tradition and Modernity
Restaurant Sigmund is considered one of the most traditional restaurants in Merano's old town and boasts a long and successful history in the city's culinary scene. For me, visiting this restaurant, located right by the Bolzano Gate, was therefore another highlight I was particularly looking forward to. They serve a lot of regional dishes with a South Tyrolean touch, as well as classic cuisine with an international flair. We were greeted very warmly and shown to our corner table upstairs. We started with a glass of South Tyrolean sparkling wine ("Arunda Extra Brut") and chose our appetizers and main courses; we also indulged in dessert. Restaurant Sigmund pleasantly surprised me, and I not only ate one of the best steaks I've had in a long time (grilled to perfection), but also enjoyed a wonderful atmosphere, competent and very friendly service, and learned a great deal about gastronomy. For example, during my visit to Restaurant Sigmund, I found myself in a very historic building, supposedly dating back to the 14th century. It was acquired in 1930 by the grandparents of the current owners, the Sigmund family, and has now been run as a restaurant for over 87 years. Since its renovation in 2013, the floor where my companion and I were seated also houses four guest rooms – some with roof terraces and views of Merano's old town.
Get advice on wine selection at the local restaurant.
Back to the food: For starters, we opted for a remarkably successful and incredibly fresh-tasting "Cold Cucumber Soup with Herb Croutons" (€8.90) and a rather simply presented, but equally delicious, "Tomato Carpaccio with Grilled Shrimp" (€16.90). For our main courses, we chose meat. My companion had "Roast Beef with Chanterelles and Semolina Dumplings" (€24.50), and I had a well-chosen and wonderfully prepared beef steak with vegetables and potato croquettes (€29.50). There was absolutely nothing to criticize, and the moment I had the homemade plum dumpling with cinnamon crumbs and butter (€10.90) in front of me, I knew I had made a perfect choice with my visit to Restaurant Sigmund. So delicious! (Regarding Restaurant Sigmund:)WebsiteYou absolutely must visit this restaurant during your trip to Merano; you can even check out their stylish rooms with overnight accommodation on their website. I highly recommend doing what I did and enjoying a full meal there – with or without wine pairings, as you prefer. It's a truly fantastic restaurant with – as is typical in Merano – very friendly staff.
What to expect in the 5th and final article
In my last article, I reported on my visit to the bakery and confectionery "Mein Beck." There, I toured the production facilities and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. I also stopped by Kofler Delikatessen and had lunch at Villa Heidelberg.
+++ This article was created in cooperation with the Merano Tourist Office. Thank you! +++
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