Sommer Kitchen Grill & Food Lab

Sommer Kitchen Grill & Food Lab Sommer Kitchen Grill is here to bring great food to your next event! Searching for the next exciting dish, we want to bring a new way of dining to you.

Let yourself and your guests be amazed by our creations and widen your culinary horizon. We love good food and want to bring it to your table!

Today offered a glimpse into one of the most fascinating new chapters in the world of wine: Hokkaido.Long known for its ...
04/06/2026

Today offered a glimpse into one of the most fascinating new chapters in the world of wine: Hokkaido.

Long known for its dramatic landscapes, cool climate, and exceptional seafood, Japan’s northernmost island is increasingly attracting attention from wine lovers around the globe. Here, between rolling hills and the waters of the Tsugaru Strait, a new generation of vineyards is exploring what Japanese terroir can truly achieve.

One of the most exciting projects is the partnership between Burgundy and Hokkaido through Étienne de Montille and the renowned Domaine de Montille. Drawn by the region’s cool climate and growing potential for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the family established vineyards overlooking Hakodate, bringing generations of Burgundian expertise to one of Japan’s most promising wine regions.

A particular privilege today was tasting the very first vintage ever produced from this remarkable project. Beyond the wine itself, it felt like witnessing the beginning of a story. The wines combine the precision and elegance associated with Burgundy with the freshness, purity, and unique character of Hokkaido’s maritime climate.

Looking out across the young vineyards toward Hakodate Bay, it becomes clear why so many producers are investing in this region. Cool summers, long daylight hours, volcanic soils, and constant ocean influences create conditions unlike anywhere else in Japan.

As Japanese wine continues its rapid rise on the international stage, Hokkaido is emerging as one of its most exciting frontiers. And today, with a glass of the first vintage in hand, the future looked very bright indeed.

Karatsu Castle on the horizon, a glass of sake in hand, and the sea stretching endlessly beyond the window.One of the jo...
31/05/2026

Karatsu Castle on the horizon, a glass of sake in hand, and the sea stretching endlessly beyond the window.

One of the joys of travelling through Japan is discovering remarkable bottles far from the spotlight. Earlier in the voyage, a small sake shop on Amami Ōshima provided the opportunity to select a collection of bottles that would later become the centrepiece of a tasting on board HANSEATIC inspiration.

The goal was simple: to take guests on a journey through the world of sake. From elegant and aromatic styles such as Dassai 45 to more traditional expressions, each bottle was chosen to showcase a different facet of Japan’s national drink and the craftsmanship behind it.

With Karatsu Castle rising above the bay and fresh local sushi on the table, the tasting became more than a lesson in sake. It became a story of places, people, and discoveries made along the route. A bottle found on a small island in the Ryukyus, another from the Japanese mainland, each carrying its own regional identity and traditions.

Moments like these are what make expedition cruising so rewarding. Not simply visiting destinations, but bringing their flavours, stories, and cultures back on board to share with fellow travellers.

Steam rises from the earth long before you reach Beppu. From the harbor, the entire city seems to breathe — white clouds...
26/05/2026

Steam rises from the earth long before you reach Beppu. From the harbor, the entire city seems to breathe — white clouds drifting through narrow streets beneath the mountains of Kyushu.

This corner of Japan feels deeply shaped by volcanic energy. Boiling hot springs, mineral-rich waters, bubbling mud pools and the constant scent of sulfur are part of daily life here. Yet between the steam and stone, there is also remarkable calm: small shrines hidden in greenery, quiet temple bells and traditional castles overlooking the coastline.

Today moved between worlds. From the dramatic geothermal landscapes of Beppu to delicate sashimi prepared with incredible precision, from weathered wooden houses to modern cafés and artisan workshops. Japan has a way of making contrasts feel completely natural.

One moment you stand in front of a violently steaming blue hot spring, the next you find a tiny roadside shrine tucked beneath old leaves, or a peaceful castle rising above the sea. Even the ordinary details — mist rolling down the mountains, warm rain in the streets, the glow of a single lightbulb inside a workshop — begin to feel cinematic.

Kyushu is often quieter than Tokyo or Kyoto, but perhaps that is exactly why it stays with you longer.

From the quiet rain around Shuri Castle to the endless blue cliffs of Okinawa’s southern coast, these islands carry beau...
21/05/2026

From the quiet rain around Shuri Castle to the endless blue cliffs of Okinawa’s southern coast, these islands carry beauty and memory side by side.

Today was a journey through places where history still feels close: the Cornerstone of Peace, the former naval headquarters carved into the rock, old Ryukyuan guardians watching temple gates, and fish markets where the pulse of island life continues exactly as it has for generations.

Okinawa is never just one thing.
It is tropical light and difficult history.
Sacred spaces and busy harbours.
Shisa lions guarding shrines while tuna is carved a few streets away.

And somehow the ocean is always there in the background, impossibly blue, surrounding everything with silence and salt air. 🇯🇵🌊




Dassai 23 always feels less like a drink and more like an exercise in precision.Polished down to just 23% of the rice gr...
14/05/2026

Dassai 23 always feels less like a drink and more like an exercise in precision.
Polished down to just 23% of the rice grain, this Junmai Daiginjo carries an almost weightless elegance, yet its aromas unfold with incredible complexity: white peach, melon, yuzu, pear blossom and delicate notes of cream, rice sweetness and soft spice, all layered with a purity that seems almost impossible to capture in liquid form.

There is a quiet harmony to great sake that differs from wine — less about structure and more about texture, detail and flow. Dassai 23 moves effortlessly across the palate, calm and luminous, leaving behind a sense of stillness long after the cup is empty.





Some bottles survive. Others continue to live.This 1993 from Domaine de La Vallongue, in the stony light of Provence, st...
02/05/2026

Some bottles survive. Others continue to live.

This 1993 from Domaine de La Vallongue, in the stony light of Provence, still speaks with remarkable freshness. Red currant and plum lead the way, followed by black olive, liquorice, to***co and a gentle echo of cherry liqueur. Time has softened the edges, but not the spirit.

There is something beautiful in finding a wine that has travelled so far and still carries energy, savoury depth and quiet grace. A reminder that maturity, when well kept, is never about fading — only about becoming more complete.





Three glasses, three shades of time.Prädikat wines feel almost like a style from another era: Born from patience, steep ...
26/04/2026

Three glasses, three shades of time.

Prädikat wines feel almost like a style from another era: Born from patience, steep slopes, late harvests and the old art of reading ripeness berry by berry. Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese — words that carry a whole cultural memory of German wine.

Once celebrated as some of the world’s greatest treasures, these wines can seem almost lost in a louder, drier, faster age. Yet in the glass, they remain timeless: Light, sweetness, acidity and mineral precision held in perfect balance. A quiet reminder that true greatness does not age out of fashion.diepraedikatsweingueter

From the cool shadows of the Dolomites comes a wine that feels carved rather than made.Teroldego from Sgarzon carries th...
21/03/2026

From the cool shadows of the Dolomites comes a wine that feels carved rather than made.
Teroldego from Sgarzon carries the quiet strength of stone and mountain air, dark fruit wrapped in alpine freshness, a hint of wild herbs, and that subtle, earthy depth that speaks of place more than power. There is something almost meditative in its balance — firm yet fluid, structured yet alive — like the stillness of a high valley just before dusk. A wine that does not seek attention, but rewards it.





Winter asks for depth, patience, and dishes that take their time.Blank Canvas Syrah 2019 from Gimblett Gravels meets har...
15/02/2026

Winter asks for depth, patience, and dishes that take their time.
Blank Canvas Syrah 2019 from Gimblett Gravels meets hare royale exactly there: slow-cooked intensity, dark spice, iron-rich savouriness, and that unmistakable Syrah core of black olive, pepper, and cool gravelly tension. The wine’s purity and restraint cut through the richness of the dish, while its fine tannins echo the structure of the sauce rather than overpowering it. A pairing built not on volume, but on quiet precision — where winter cooking and New Zealand Syrah speak the same language.





A Champagne shaped by time and intention.Le Champ de 8 Jours, vintage 2014, a Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru that carries both...
13/02/2026

A Champagne shaped by time and intention.
Le Champ de 8 Jours, vintage 2014, a Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru that carries both depth and restraint. The warmth of the year meets quiet tension, with ripe orchard fruit, subtle spice, and a mineral backbone that keeps everything in balance. This is a wine that doesn’t rush — it unfolds slowly, rewarding patience with clarity and calm confidence. A reminder that great Champagne is as much about silence as it is about celebration.





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