Pumpkin & Wine
Whether you require a companion for delicately flavoured wild pumpkins: In the cellars of the German winemakers, a parade of fantastic wines is ready to give a brilliant performance on your table. And Wines of Germany has a few simple guidelines for you to follow – to avoid even the slightest hints of disharmony creeping into these alliances.
Facts
-
90 %
water content
-
29,14
calories per 100 gram
-
200
pumpkin varieties are suitable for consumption
White wines with pumpkin dishes
The subtle flavours of pumpkins, often reminiscent of nuts or young beets, are mild and suited to a wide variety of dishes: Delicate soups; heartily seasoned, exquisite vegetable side dishes – and even extraordinary roasted salads with lemon peel and balsamic vinegar. Delicately fruity Pinot Blanc and slightly mature Silvaner are the best companions for pumpkin as a main dish. The flavours of these culinary partners complement each other well. As a side dish alongside meat, a heartily seasoned pumpkin, such as the expressive Hokkaido, is an ideal companion for light red wines like Portugieser or fresh Trollinger. They are suitable playmates for the pumpkin’s subtle fruity flavours but also form a delicious alliance with heartier dishes.
When roasted, pumpkins develop pronounced flavours that are slightly reminiscent of edible chestnuts. In this guise, they go very well with expressive red wines such as Dornfelder or Lemberger.
In desserts, pumpkins show off their sweet side. However, there are suitable wine companions for this manifestation as well. Pumpkin pie with caramelized nuts pairs delightfully with a noble-sweet Riesling Beerenauslese. And for another true culinary epiphany this autumn: Try slightly fruity pumpkin pastry with a mild Riesling Auslese.
Pumpkin Varieties
Pumpkin side dishes, prepared with the orange-coloured classic varieties, love to seduce gently. The pumpkin flavours are quite delicate, restrained and easily dominated by the more expressive wine varieties. Consequently, delicate flavours are in high demand. Silvaner, Rivaner and Chasselas from Baden are perfect companions for lightly seasoned pumpkin side dishes. The flavours of the light-yellow butternut also enjoy being drenched in a delicate Pinot Gris with its harmonious nutty-buttery aromas. Pinot Gris also makes for a delightful alliance with white pumpkins and their flavours reminiscent of young beets. Those are also well rounded off by classic Rieslings.
Sweet and sour pumpkin preserves are a popular variation and a real challenge for a wine companion. A semi-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer is the perfect partner for this potpourri dominated by acidity and sweetness. And even venturing a combination with a mild Riesling Spätlese can be a delectable choice.
Pumpkin desserts offer a wide variety of flavours and are exceptionally flexible. Try slightly fruity pumpkin pastry on an afternoon, with a mild and fruity wine such as Riesling Auslese as the companion of choice. Or tickle your taste buds with the opulence of pumpkin cake prepared with almonds and caramelized nuts, which prefers a wine companion that is its equal in seductive sweetness with spicy aromas. Pair it with a delicate Riesling Beerenauslese and indulge yourself with a true culinary highlight.
Can pumpkin be prepared sweet?
Yes! Whether as a cake, dessert casserole or sweetly preserved and paired with Riesling cream - pumpkin is a real all-rounder even in its sweet version. Sweet and sweet wines, such as Spät- or Auslesen, are recommended for these dishes.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
with white wine Cauliflower soup
with white wine
- 3 Stück Schalotten
- 500 Gramm Blumenkohl
- 20 Gramm Butter
- 1 TL Fenchelsaat
- 50 ml Weißwein
- 800 ml Gemüsebrühe
- 100 ml Schlagsahne
- 1 Prise Zucker
- nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer
Peel the shallots and cut into slices.
Clean and chop the cauliflower.
Melt the butter in a pan, sauté the shallots with the fennel seeds over a medium heat for 3 minutes until colourless. Add the cauliflower, sauté for 2 minutes, season with salt and sugar.
<p
<p>Deglaze with white wine, bring to the boil and top up with vegetable stock and whipping cream. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.
Blend with a hand blender, adding stock if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
Serve drizzled with a few drops of olive oil.
- Silvaner (trocken)
with apples Pork medallions
with apples
- 8 Stück Schweinemedaillons
- 500 Gramm Bandnudeln
- 2 große Äpfel
- 200 ml Sahne
- 10 Blättchen frischer Salbei
- 4 Zweige frischer Thymian
- nach Geschmack Zucker
- 3 EL Calvados
- 1 EL Öl
- zum Abschmecken Salz & Pfeffer
Slightly pepper and salt the medallions on both sides. Pluck the thyme, cut the sage into fine strips and roll the medallions in the herbs. Fry the meat in a pan with a little oil on both sides, not too hot, until it starts to colour. Remove from the pan and place on a preheated tray in the oven at 100 °C until cooked through.
Cook the tagliatelle al dente and keep warm.
In the meantime, peel the apples and cut into slices approx. 1.5 cm wide. Reheat the meat pan and add the apple slices. After about half a minute, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the apples and allow them to caramelise. After a minute, deglaze the apple slices with a generous dash of Calvados and flambé. Add the cream and flavour with salt and pepper.
Remove the fillet from the oven. Add the meat juices from the oven dish to the sauce and serve the fillets with the tagliatelle, apple slices and Calvados apple sauce.
<p- Riesling (trocken)
a Christmassy dessert Plum roaster with cinnamon ice cream
a Christmassy dessert
- 1 kg Zwetschgen (frisch oder TK)
- 100 Gramm Zucker
- 0.5 TL gemahlener Zimt
- Eine Prise Nelkenpulver
- 50 ml Pflaumenschnaps
- 50 Gramm dunkler Rohrzucker
- 2 EL alter Balsamicoessig
- 200 Gramm Zucker
- 4 Eigelb
- 500 ml Sahne
Plum rings:
Wash, deseed and quarter the plums. Spread the sugar evenly in a non-stick pan and melt slowly over a medium heat. Increase the temperature and immediately add the fruit, schnapps and spices. Stir until the mixture caramelises.
Stir in the muscovado sugar and balsamic vinegar, spread onto a cold plate after approx. 3 minutes.
<p
<p>Cinnamon ice cream:
Combine the sugar and egg yolks and stir the two ingredients over a bain-marie until frothy.
Whip the cream, then carefully mix both mixtures and add three teaspoons of cinnamon. Carefully mix the cinnamon into the mixture again.
Pour the finished mixture into any (cake) tin or small dish, cover with aluminium foil and place in the freezer for at least three hours.
Place the plums on four deep plates or small bowls, cut off 2 – 3 ice lollies each and place on top, serve immediately.
- Gewürztraminer (trocken)
in a bacon coating Lamb
in a bacon coating
- 4 Stück Lammlachse à 150 g
- 4 Scheiben Bacon
- 0,1 Liter Wein
- 0,3 Liter Gemüsebrühe
- 1 kleine Schalotte
- 20 Gramm Butter
- 4 EL Olivenöl
- je 2 Zweige Thymian, Rosmarin, Salbei
- nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer
Season the lamb salmon with pepper and massage 2 tbsp of olive oil into the meat. Finely chop the thyme, rosemary and sage and season the meat in the herbs. Marinate in the fridge for a few hours.
<p
<p>Wrap the meat with the bacon slices and sear on all sides in the remaining olive oil. Continue to cook for approx. 4 minutes on each side over a low heat (the cooking time depends on the thickness of the lamb loin - it is best to do a pressure test). Then wrap in aluminium foil and leave to rest in the oven at 80 °C – so they remain juicy and slightly pink on the inside.
This goes well with Bärlauch risotto.
- Dornfelder (trocken)
