Sparkling wine
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.
Facts
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8 - 10°
are ideal drinking temperatures
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3,5
bar minimum
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9 Monate
Fermentation in the bottle
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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 blueberries Banana and parsley waffles
with blueberries
- 25 Gramm glatte Petersilie
- 200 ml Milch
- 2 Eier Größe L
- 70 Gramm Zucker
- 1 Päckchen Vanillezucker
- 100 ml Öl
- 75 Gramm Naturjoghurt
- nach Belieben Butterschmalz oder Pfannenfett
- 300 ml Sahne
- 1 halbe Vanilleschote
- 2,5 EL Puderzucker
- 500 Gramm Blaubeeren
- 100 ml weißer Traubensaft
- 250 Gramm Mehl
- 1 TL Backpulver
- 200 Gramm überreife Bananen
- eine Prise Meersalz
Dough:
Mix the flour, 1 pinch of salt and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.
Blend the bananas and parsley with 100 ml milk to a fine puree. Put to one side.
Separate the eggs. Mix the egg yolks with 20 g sugar, vanilla sugar, oil and banana puree until smooth. Stir in the flour mixture, milk and yoghurt with a whisk.
Beat the egg whites with 1 pinch of salt and the remaining sugar until stiff. Fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
Topping:
Whip the cream with the seeds from the vanilla pod and 1.5 tbsp icing sugar until creamy (not too stiff!). Leave to cool.
Heat a large pan, lightly caramelise 1 tbsp of icing sugar, add the blueberries and toss briefly, deglaze with the grape juice and allow to reduce briefly.
Preheat the waffle iron and melt the clarified butter. Brush the waffle iron with a little clarified butter, ladle in the batter in batches and bake until golden brown. Serve with the topping.
- Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)
- Silvaner (süß & edelsüß)
with fresh chanterelles Autumn bruschetta
with fresh chanterelles
- 4 Ciabatta-Brötchen
- 200 Gramm kleine Pfifferlinge
- 4 EL kleingehackte Petersilie
- 4 Zehen Knoblauch
- 80 Gramm Pecorino (Hartkäse)
- 8 EL kaltgepresstes Olivenöl
- Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Clean the chanterelles. Sauté the parsley in a pan with half of the oil, then add the mushrooms and cook over a low heat for approx. 5 minutes.
Slice the rolls and bake for approx. 5 minutes until crispy.
Chop the garlic into small pieces, spread on the warm bread rolls and drizzle with the other half of the oil. Coarsely grate the pecorino.
Stir the chanterelle and parsley mixture into the pecorino and spread over the halves of the rolls.
- Pinot Gris (trocken)
- Federweißer (brut nature)
with shrimps Pumpkin soup
with shrimps
- 1 kleiner Hokkaido-Kürbis
- 1 Zwiebel
- 5 cm Ingwer
- 2 EL Butter
- 750 ml Gemüsebrühe
- 300 ml Kokosmilch
- 12 mittelgroße Shrimps
- 2 EL Olivenöl
- Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer
Peel and dice the pumpkin, onion and ginger and sauté in the butter.
Deglaze with the vegetable stock and sauté for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
Sauté the shrimps in a little olive oil and leave to cook over a low heat for a few minutes. Place on wooden skewers and keep warm in aluminium foil.
When the vegetables have been steamed until soft, blend finely with a hand blender. Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the soup in large cups and garnish with the shrimp skewers.
Freshly baked white bread goes well with this.
- Muskateller (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Federweißer (brut nature)
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.
<p- Trollinger (halbtrocken & feinherb)
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