Becker´s Restaurant, Trier

Becker times three – chef, winemaker and hotelier with passion

Portrait des Sternekochs Wolfgang Becker.

Excellent food and good wine undoubtedly go together, and after an outstanding meal, there is nothing better than a comfortable night’s sleep. How handy it is then, that one and the same man is behind all three elements of a great evening. Wolfgang Becker, possibly the only chef awarded one Michelin star in the world who is also a trained winemaker, successfully runs a Design Hotel and carries out all three roles with the same degree of passion.

One star in the Guide Michelin and three stars in the Gault&Millau – these are Wolfgang Becker’s latest achievements. But working solely as a restaurant chef isn’t enough for the Trier-born Wolfgang Becker. When he isn't in the kitchen of his gourmet restaurant, the trained winemaker presses his own wines down in the cellar, visits vineyards and takes care of his daily business as hotel manager of Becker’s Hotel.

First winemaker, then chef

Wolfgang Becker developed his enthusiasm for wine early on. He worked at his parents’ winery from a young age and had to lend a hand everywhere. The traditional style of Weinhaus Becker, with its rustic wine tavern that even then served its own wines, has been maintained and now serves as Wolfgang Becker’s second restaurant, where he offers elegant country cuisine made from high-quality ingredients.

It was also ultimately his family background that provided the impetus for Becker to initially complete an apprenticeship as winemaker. It was only when the demand for serving food to accompany the wines gradually increased in his parents’ establishment that Wolfgang Becker took an interest in gastronomy. He decided to start training as a chef immediately after completing his winemaker apprenticeship. In the years that followed, Becker worked at the Restaurant Imperial at Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe as well as with three-star chef Harald Wohlfahrt at the Schwarzwaldstube.

Return to Trier with fresh ideas

In 1995, he finally returned to his parents’ establishment and worked in all areas there. At the same time, he was also intensively involved with the structural remodelling needed for the set up of his first professional kitchen.

In 1997, he and his wife took over the family business completely and this then underwent an extensive transformation; first a new concept, then a new style of cuisine and finally a new hotel.

And so, in the middle of a residential area and surrounded by vineyards, his Bauhaus-style hotel, which today belongs to the prestigious Design Hotels association, came into being.

Ansicht auf gegrillte Jakobsmuschel im Becker´s Restaurant.

Ansicht auf eine geräucherte Forelle im Becker´s Restaurant.

Variety all round

In-house produced wines are now served alongside a large selection of international wines in the hotel’s two restaurants, “Gourmet” and “Weinhaus”, as well as in its wine lounge. Wolfgang and Christine Becker are the fifth generation of the family to run the winery. Christine Becker is not only a sommelier for Becker’s and the wine lounge, she is also active in the winery’s own vineyards, where she competently take care of the vines, their harvest and wine production. Seven different grape varieties are cultivated on just 3.5 hectares of land, whereby the couple is particularly passionate about Burgundy varieties.

The large number of grape varieties is pretty unusual for a winery of this size but it is this which makes the playful approach to flavours and the wide selection of wine accompaniments possible. The star chef takes care of the fine details of wine production himself. He supervises the aging of the wines, always with the aim of creating the right accompaniment to his dishes. “Right in this context doesn’t just mean that the wines should harmonise with the food, I also find it exciting when a wine pushes the boundaries,” explains the winemaker and restaurateur.

Clean lines, elegant design and unique architecture – these distinguish Becker’s Hotel and Restaurant.