Terragusto opened only fairly recently in late 2010 or early 2011, I think. But what a great…read moreaddition to Freiburg! Along with Italian and German wines, they sell a number of spirits, from various grappas, limoncellos, and other Italian liqueurs, to Black Forest Obstbrände. They also have fancy Italian sweets and honeys, olive oils, vinegars, pesto, and other Italian foods brought by car from Italy. Generally, you can taste much of what they sell. Quite recently, they even started offering espresso for EUR1 per cup. Not bad, especially for such a good espresso, definitely the best I've had in Freiburg! Of course, it's clear they offer it mainly to draw in potential customers, but it's worth trying. On top of all that, the two guys who usually work there, Adriano and Claudio, are very friendly and knowledgeable about what they sell in the store. You can come in and talk about what they have and they'll be happy to talk as long as you like. Truly a well run store with some great things to offer. And usually cheaper than the nearby Primo Market. Check them out!

Drexler's is a good store from which to buy wine -- but in my experience, only if you already know…read morethe wine. I've asked for recommendations several times -- twice on German wine, once for crémant (French bubbly not from Champagne), and once for cognac. The cognac was good, but none of the other recommendations suited my taste, and my taste is fairly broad. The prices usually aren't especially good either, but are generally not unreasonable. I know, from the above it sounds like I don't really like the place. But you can get some great wines here that might be hard to find elsewhere, like Camins del Priorat for EUR14 (or that's what it used to cost), an excellent priorat at an excellent price. The service is generally very friendly, and I like that they have so many wines on display in the window -- it's nice to be able to have a look from the outside without coming in uncomfortably without any real desire to buy something. So it's not my go-to place, but I'll have a look in the window to see if there's something I like which is always fun. And a place deserves to be recognized for being eye-candy, too. :-)

The whiskey drew me in. Blame the whiskey. As I walked in, I was immediately struck by this store's…read moreuniqueness. Up the 3 steps were culinary knives, my level had jams and jellies, but I didn't see the whiskey. We headed downstairs. Tucked away in the far back left corner is the whiskey selection. Most are from Scotland and there are a few from Ireland. Here's the reason why I really like this place- you can purchase 100ml samplings of select whiskey. Rarely do I ever see a shop do this. Count yourself fortunate, Freiburg. It took me a long time to decide, but I finally left with an Aberlour 19 year single cask whiskey. They have Speyside, Islay, Highlands and other designations. Let yourself me drawn in by the whiskey lure. They do have some other spirits including, what I can only assume to be, house infused spirits on the far opposite side of the lower room.

Have you heard of Monkey 47 Gin? If you're a local, I imagine you have. If not, it's a great spicy…read moregin produced in the Black Forest region. Internet research shows that it's very hard to come by, so I'm thankful I discovered it here. My friends are in for a treat. I found three locations that sell Monkey Gin. Here and another place sell it for €36, much better than a €40+ price I saw elsewhere. The proprietress was very helpful. She asked me if I'd like it wrapped and I'd said "yes, for protection". I explained I was flying tomorrow to the US, so she wrapped it in tissue and then a double layer of a light cardboard casing and folded the extra material over and tied it taut with ribbon. Sufficiently secured. It's a great little shop with great customer service. I would visit again.

From the owner: Unsere Mission ist simpel: Wir wollen dir die besten handgemachten…read moreBiere aus der Region einschenken. Frisch gebraut, mit 100% natürlichen Zutaten und viel Geschmack, zu fairen Preisen. Decker Bier ist ein Zusammenschluss von regionalen Kleinbrauereien und Bierliebhabern - gegründet Anfang 2015 von 3 Freiburgern, die sich für den Erhalt des Brauhandwerks und die Förderung der regionalen Biervielfalt einsetzen.