Sparkling wine

deutscher Winzersekt auf dem Mainzer Wochenmarkt

Be it New Year’s Eve, a party or brunch, a Formula One or a horse race – whenever people are bubbling over with joy, it’s hard to imagine them without a glass of bubbly, the sparkling crown jewel of winemaking.

8 - 10°

are ideal drinking temperatures
3,5

bar minimum
9 Monate

Fermentation in the bottle
0-3g

residual sugar content correspond to "brut nature".

German gourmets are the world champions of Sekt consumption. And that’s why many wine estates have established Winzersekt as a fixed component on their list of offers.

Extra Effort brings Extra Flavor

Classic fermentation in the bottle: At the beginning of the production of Sekt, sugar and a special kind of yeast, able to withstand great pressure, are added to the base wine. This initiates the second fermentation, producing the CO2 that will later make the Sekt sparkle so pleasantly in the glass. The pressure exerted by the carbonic acid needs to amount to at least 3.5 bar – up to 6 bar can be achieved. In the original method of Sekt manufacturing, the so-called Méthode champenoise, and in classic bottle fermentation, the second fermentation takes place in the individual bottle.

In a dark and cool cellar, Winzersekt lies and matures on its yeast for a minimum of 9 months, sometimes for years. After this, the bottles are placed upside down into so-called riddling racks. For a period of four weeks, they get turned daily and set ever more steeply upright at the same time. At the end of this laborious process, all the yeast has collected in the bottle’s neck. The bottle necks are then immersed in a brine (a freezing cold solution) to make the yeast freeze. If the bottles are opened now, the pressure from the carbonic acid ejects the yeast clot. The technical term for this process is “disgorging”.

Since the term “Méthode champenoise” has been exclusively reserved to the products of the French Champagne region for many years, Sekt manufactured by this method in Germany uses the term traditional or classic bottle fermentation.

Designations of styles

The designations for the styles of Sekt as defined by German Wine Law are different from those of wine, because the natural carbonic acid content of Sekt reduces the perception of sweetness. Accordingly, the permissible residual sugar levels of a dry Sekt are markedly higher than those of a dry wine.

brut nature: 0-3 g/l
extra brut: 0-6 g/l
brut: 0-12 g/l
extra dry: 12-17 g/l
dry: 17-32 g/l
semi-dry: 32-50 g/l
mild: over 50 g/l

Not everything that foams is sparkling wine:

Schaumwein is the generic term for moussing, i.e. foaming wines with perlage, with a minimum pressure of 3 bar.

Sparkling wine is sparkling wine whose carbonic acid is produced during fermentation and generates at least 3.5 bar of internal pressure.

Perlwein has less pressure, the carbonic acid may also be added. Good sparkling wines are fresh, light, summery-fruity and at the same time relatively inexpensive, as they are not subject to sparkling wine tax.

Secco is the modern term for trendy sparkling wines.

Crémant can be called German sparkling wines that meet certain specifications for grape varieties, harvest and fermentation.

Which wine-growing region was the first to introduce sparkling wines to the market?

Rheinhessen launched the first vintner sparkling wines in Germany more than 25 years ago.

Varietals

with strong red wine Wild boar ragout

with strong red wine

800 Gramm Fleisch vom Wildschwein (Keule o. Schulter)
80 Gramm Bauchspeck
100 Gramm Zwiebeln
60 Gramm Karotten
60 Gramm Staudensellerie
1 TL Tomatenmark
200 ml kräftigen Rotwein
100 ml Portwein
1 Liter braune Wildbrühe
1 TL Preiselbeeren
1 EL geschlagene Sahne o. Sauerrahm
20 Gramm Mehl
1 Stück Lorbeerblatt
je 1 Zweig Rosmarin und Thymian
4 zerdrückte Wacholderbeeren
1/2 TL Senf
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Clean and wash the vegetables and cut into evenly sized cubes.

Remove the fat, skin and tendons from the wild boar meat and cut into 3 cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with flour. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Add the vegetables and diced bacon and fry. Add the tomato purée and stir fry. Deglaze with the red wine and port, reduce and pour in the brown game stock. Add the spices to the meat in a small spice bag and leave the ragout to simmer in the oven at 160°C for approx. 1½ hours.

Then remove the pieces of meat, remove the spices, strain the sauce, add the cranberries and mustard and leave to reduce for about 15 minutes. If necessary, thicken with a little cornflour. Serve with the whipped cream.

Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)

with cinnamon and sugar Odenwald apple soufflé

with cinnamon and sugar

1 kg Äpfel
250 Gramm Semmelbrösel
125 Gramm Zucker
2 EL Butter
1/2 TL Zimt
1 Msp. gemahlene Nelken
50 Gramm Rosinen
100 ml trockener Weißwein
1 EL Rum
zum Bestreuen Zimt & Zucker

Sauté the breadcrumbs, butter, spices and 2 tbsp sugar in a pan. Peel the apples and cut into slices. Sauté in white wine with rum and sugar until the liquid has almost evaporated.

<p>Fill the greased springform tin alternately with the breadcrumb mixture and apples (bottom and top layer of breadcrumb mixture).

Bake for one ½ hour at 140 °C. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Riesling (lieblich)

with semi-dry wines Flädlesuppe

with semi-dry wines

1 Bund Schnittlauch
1 Liter Fleischbrühe
150 Gramm Weizenmehl
300 ml Milch
nach Belieben Speckschwarte zum ausreiben der Pflanne
Etwas Salz

Make a smooth, not too thick batter from the flour, milk, eggs and a pinch of salt. Heat a heavy frying pan on a high heat, rub with bacon fat, pour in a small dollop of batter, allow to spread and fry thin pancakes (flädle).

<p>Leave the pancakes to cool, halve and cut into thin strips.

Place in clear, very hot meat stock and serve immediately.

Trollinger (halbtrocken & feinherb)

with dry sparkling wine Sparkling wine and lime dessert

with dry sparkling wine

300ml Winzersekt
4 Limetten
100g Zucker
30g Speisestärke
100g Butterkekse
50g ungesalzene Butter
2 Eiweiße
50g grieschicher Joghurt
150g Schlagsahne

Pour the sparkling wine and sugar into a pan. Chill the remaining sparkling wine. Wash 1 lime with hot water and finely grate the zest. Halve the lime and 2 others, squeeze out the juice and mix with the cornflour. Pour everything into the pan and bring to the boil briefly. Remove the pan from the heat and chill the cream in the fridge.

Fill the shortbread biscuits into a freezer bag, crush with a rolling pin and place in a bowl. Melt the butter in a pan, pour over the crumbled shortbread biscuits, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Leave to cool briefly, divide half into large wine glasses and press down firmly.

Cut the lime into slices. Beat the egg whites with salt until stiff. Stir the yoghurt into the chilled champagne and lime cream. Whip the cream until stiff and fold into the cooled cream, one after the other, together with the beaten egg whites. Spread half over wine glasses, add another layer of shortbread biscuits and finish with a layer of cream. Garnish with lime slices and pour in the remaining sparkling wine. Toast and enjoy!