Regions

Regions at nur Gutes means gourmet food sorted by origin

Regions sorts the nur Gutes assortment by origin: ten countries and landscapes where our producers work, from Germany and Austria to Italy, South Tyrol, France, Spain, and Portugal, all the way to Denmark, Sweden, and Lithuania. Gourmet food, wine, home living, and cooking products are featured on a page for each country, and behind every jar is a name.

Regions at nur Gutes are the map of our assortment. Instead of searching by product type, you select an origin and get everything from that country on one page: wines and spirits, gourmet food and sweets, plus textiles, ceramics, and kitchen tools. Ten pages lead from the Øresund to Sicily, and each one begins with the region itself. Only after the cuisine and wine do we introduce the manufactories that we have been selecting since 2002.

A country name is merely the rough drawer in which the actual origins lie: the Puster Valley and Brittany, the Palatinate's Mittelhaardt and the Basque Country, the Ritten above Bolzano, and the salt pans of the Algarve. These are the places where the people we have worked with for years originate, and from there come the bottles, tins, and bars that eventually end up on your table.

The great neighbors in the south and west

Our neighbors in the south and west are the most densely stocked. Italy is our main stage, with hazelnut creams from Piedmont, balsamic vinegar from Modena, and pasta from the Marche and Abruzzo regions. Alongside these are Lugana from Lake Garda and olive oil from Apulia and Liguria.

South Tyrol gets its own page because it is alpine and bilingual. There, mountain apple juice from Thomas Kohl from the Ritten, fruit spreads from Alpe Pragas in the Puster Valley, Gewürztraminer from Tramin, and bacon from the Antholz Valley await.

France follows with its own tone and a different pantry. This is where the butter comes from, which Jean-Yves Bordier has had kneaded by hand in Saint-Malo, as well as vintage sardines from Brittany, mustard from Beaune, and chocolate from Bonnat in Voiron. Tea from Paris and table linens from the Vosges round out the picture.

Germany brings the home-field advantage: Riesling and Pinot Noir from the Palatinate and Rhine-Hesse, sparkling wine produced via traditional bottle fermentation, Korn schnapps from the Münsterland region, and fruit brandies from the Kaiserstuhl. Knives from Solingen and dish towels from Hamburg are also included.

Austria stands for Grüner Veltliner from the Kamp Valley, Blaufränkisch from Lake Neusiedl, and Sauvignon Blanc from the steep slopes of Southern Styria, in addition to tomatoes from the Seewinkel region and soaps from Innsbruck, produced by a soapery that has been in operation since 1777. Five countries, five cuisines, and in each one a dozen distinct signatures that hold their own alongside one another on the shelf.

Specialists on the Atlantic and in the north

The smaller pages are specialists with a clear profile. Spain stands for the sea and olive groves: Bonito del Norte and anchovies from the Basque Country, olive oil from Jaén and Tarragona, and Fleur de Sel from the salt pans of Ibiza. Roasted almonds and pistachios from La Mancha complete a handy selection in which every tin knows its fisherman and every bottle its mill.

Portugal brings with it the sardine culture—tins from Matosinhos and Lisbon whose labels look like they came from an old harbor kiosk. This is supplemented by olive oil and sea salt from the Algarve, handmade ceramics from Olhão and Costa Nova, and soaps from Porto that smell of lavender and verbena. Port wine from the Douro Valley is part of the country's portrait; you won't find it on our shelves, however.

The North is spread over three pages with three different temperatures. Denmark stands for Copenhagen, for a tea shop that has existed since 1835, for licorice whose story began on Bornholm, and for sparkling tea with and without alcohol, plus designs by Eva Solo.

Sweden is weaving: dish towels from Horred, where weaving has taken place since 1692, wool blankets from Klippan, Glögg from Småland, and salty licorice from Helsingborg. Lithuania is linen from Vilnius, woven in a country with a centuries-old flax tradition. The range extends from warm wool plaids to cool linen cloths.

How to find your region

Every region page begins with a portrait of the country, its cuisine, and its wines, then leads to the companies we source from there. Each producer also has their own page, which tells the story of their founding, their location, and their craft. From a single origin, you can create an Italian antipasti platter, a French breakfast, or a Swedish advent table with Glögg and a wool blanket.

Those who prefer to shop by occasion rather than by country will find the same inventory sorted differently under Seasons and Gifts, and those looking by color can go to our Color Worlds. But the regions are the way to learn the most about the things you eat and drink. A journey through the shelves that lasts.