Wine merchant with an eventful past

Maria Bühler sells wines in District 5. She also has former city councillor Monika Stocker to thank for her decision to become self-employed.

There are some surprising things to discover in Maria Bühler's wine shop on Ackerstrasse in District 5: she specializes in wines from small estates in little-known regions. When Maria Bühler opened her store 15 years ago, her range was still unusual. Today, regional wine from small winegrowers is in vogue: even the major distributors are focusing on this card. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us small producers to find niches because there are practically none left, says the wine merchant. She is helped by the good contacts she has made on her wine travels. And her character: Maria Bühler is warm and open, and a longer conversation usually ensues when buying wine. Many of her customers are regulars, friends or colleagues. But newcomers are also welcome. Bühler asks about preferences, tries to find out which varieties the customer likes and is happy to advise on the choice of wine to accompany the evening's menu. And you can rely on her tips - the writer speaks from experience.

She also supplies the Helsinki

Maria Bühler and her employee Marianne Egli mainly sell bottles between 10 and 20 francs, simple wines of good quality. But there are also more expensive wines on the shelves. Bühler makes a third of her turnover in the store, the rest from deliveries to private individuals and restaurants. These include trendy bars such as Helsinki near Hardbrücke and Bar 63 on Rolandstrasse in district 4. This suits Bühler: she used to have her own show on Radio Lora, was active in the women's movement for a long time and can often be found going out. Today, she puts her energy into her own business.

The 54-year-old grew up in a farming family in Herrliberg. Her grandmother infected her granddaughter with her passion for the vines that grew on the slopes of the Pfannenstiel. Nevertheless, Maria Bühler completed an apprenticeship as a chemical laboratory assistant. But as early as her second year of training, she heard an inner voice: "Gang i d Räbe! First she completed her apprenticeship, then she attended the Technikum Wädenswil and became a viticultural engineer.

As a woman, she was an exotic

In the large wine stores where she worked afterwards, she realized that she had little chance of advancement. It was a time when women were still exotic in the wine trade, Bühler recalls. She handed in her notice and made a long-cherished dream come true: in 1992, she spent six months traveling through the wine-growing regions of Europe, visiting winemakers and making contacts. When she returned home, the recession was worse than ever and the unemployment rate in Switzerland was higher than at any time since the war. Bühler dreamed of having her own business, but how could she manage that? She had almost no money left after her trip and the banks were very reluctant to lend her money. Then, by chance, she saw the then city councillor Monika Stocker at an art exhibition in Frankfurt and approached her. Just because I thought she was an exciting woman. The two women got chatting and Stocker enthusiastically told Bühler about a project that had just been presented to her in Frankfurt: a business building for unemployed women who could take the plunge into self-employment there with state support. When Stocker launched a similar project in Zurich soon afterwards, Bühler was part of it, in a house in the Enge full of women who were setting up their own businesses.

Journey of discovery in the bistro

In October 1995, Bühler moved into the store at Ackerstrasse 53. Now she was standing on her own two feet, a little apprehensive as to whether she would make it. She liked the store, but the neighborhood was still plagued by the drug scene. Her worries were unfounded: Maria Bühler's customer base doubled within a year. I was lucky that the previously very conservative wine customer suddenly became eager to discover new things in the mid-1990s, says Bühler. Her favorite wine region was and still is the Languedoc in the south of France. She still loves to go there today, sit down in a bistro, see what wines are on the menu and then visit the winegrowers - always on the lookout for new discoveries that she can recommend to her customers.

Source: Tages-Anzeiger; 28.07.2009, Georg Gindely

Business philosophy

I love to give my customers individual and personal advice. My aim is to offer quality wines at an attractive price/performance ratio. It is important to me to promote and publicize innovative winegrowers from European winegrowing regions.
I maintain personal contact with producers and consumers. I travel a lot, pick up the wines directly and offer a reliable and fast home delivery service.

Offers:

Monthly tastings

Themed tastings once a month.

Tastings on request


For you, your friends, your employees, club or association friends, I organize guided tastings: in small groups (6-20 people), according to your interests and wishes, at a price that covers the costs.

Wine of the week

Come and visit me during opening hours without obligation. The wine of the week is chilled and ready for you to taste.

Banquet and party service

If you remember at the last second, "Oh! I completely forgot the wine! I've completely forgotten" call me (044 272 38 30) - I have the right solution for you!

Lending glasses

The official tasting glass "Le Verre" can be borrowed from me.

Piece: Fr. 0.85 (incl. washing up) Broken glass: Fr. 4.50

Dispatch of customer gifts

I will be happy to advise you on the choice of gift on request. Shipping is by post in PTT-approved parcels. The following units are available: 12-pack, 6-pack, 3-pack, 2-pack and 1-pack

Consultation

• White wines
• Rosé wines
• Red wines
• Foam wines
• Sweet wines
• Liqueur wines
• Cider
• Fruit wines
• Spirits
• Olive oil

I am interested in your questions about wine. I will be happy to answer them.