Mushrooms & Wine

Pilze und Kürbis

Wild mushrooms can be quite demanding in their choice of culinary partners and prefer wines with subtle and mild flavours. While a delicate potpourri of mixed mushrooms requires a full-bodied wine, flavours should not be too overwhelming.

Facts

  • 2019

    The chanterelle was the mushroom of the year

  • The fourth

    Saturday in September is celebrated annually as European Mushroom Day.

  • About 2kg

    mushrooms are consumed per capita in Germany every year

Delicious pairings - Wild mushrooms and wine

Take porcini, for instance: These most exquisite of all edible mushrooms form a perfect symbiotic relationship with a Pinot Blanc that is full-bodied yet delicately fruity. Even rather mature wines are great companions, since the subtle flavours of the mushrooms make them appear youthful and fresh. A mild acidity retains the harmony of this delicate, melt-in-the-mouth dish.

More expressive dishes, such as porcini or other mushrooms that have been fried to crispy perfection in butter, harmonize well with heartier wines with a fresh, fruity acidity, such as Riesling – a delectable alliance.

Wild mushrooms play a pleasant supporting role alongside a roast. In this case, the roast takes precedence in selecting the wine companion. However, wines such as a smooth Pinot Noir from the Ahr region or a subtle Meunier (Schwarzriesling) from Württemberg take care that the delicate mushroom flavours don’t get lost in this expressive mélange.

Mushrooms as a main dish, with a rich creamy sauce and dumplings, require a subtly fruity fresh Riesling that counters the exquisite opulence of the dish with its vivacity.

Autumn creations - wine harmony guaranteed

Whether you require a companion for delicately flavoured wild mushrooms or 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.

Wild mushrooms such as porcini, bay boletes and chanterelles

Braised, wild mushrooms tend to display extremely delicate flavours and acquire a melt-in-the-mouth touch. Most often, they are lightly sautéed in a frying pan with onions, only seasoned slightly and rounded off with a dash of lemon, in order to preserve their subtle nutty taste. Suitable wine companions should also help to retain the delicate mushroom flavours. A gentle Pinot Blanc or a Silvaner from Rheinhessen does a great job.

Crisp-fried in butter, porcini develop very distinct nuances. Their typical flavours form a delicious alliance with the delicate roast aromas. A smooth Riesling with a moderate fruity acidity is a welcome companion. It showcases the spicy nuances of the mushrooms. As far as red wines are concerned, a more distinctly fruity Pinot Noir or Portugieser fits the bill.

In a creamy sauce, mushroom dishes are not exactly light fare. A full-bodied Riesling or classic Pinot Gris makes for a happy combination. The wine’s balanced acidity, subtle richness and maybe even a hint of residual sugar are excellent counterparts for the potpourri of flavours created by braised mushrooms, cream and fresh herbs.

Mushrooms play an expressive supporting role alongside a roast. In this kind of menu, the roast takes precedence in selecting the wine companion. However, it’s a good idea to also pay attention to a harmonious relationship between wine and mushrooms. Smooth red wines with balanced tannins such as Pinot Noir from Baden or the Ahr region are commendable. Hearty red wines rich in tannins would take center stage here – and drown out the delicate mushroom aromas.

Can wines themselves develop a mushroom or champignon aroma?

Yes! This aroma manifests itself in earthy, spicy tones such as forest floor or foliage, but in extreme form it can also develop into an off-flavor. This strong mushroom note is caused, among other things, by the substance geosmin, which in turn can be caused by botrytis infestation.

More recipe ideas

with goat's cheese Courgette and chanterelle salad

with goat's cheese

  • 2 ganze Zucchini
  • 3 EL Rapsöl
  • 1 kleine Schalotte
  • 300 Gramm Pfifferlinge
  • 1 Msp. gemahlener Piment
  • 2 Bund Rucola
  • je 1/2 Bund Kerbel u. glatte Petersilie
  • je 3 EL Walnuss- u. Rapsöl
  • 4 Stück Ziegenkäse-Taler
  • 1 Prise Zucker
  • nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Salad:

Wash the courgettes and slice thinly. Place in a bowl and mix with the oil.

 

Heat a grill pan and fry the courgettes in batches until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper, place in a bowl.

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<p>Peel and finely dice the shallot. Clean the chanterelles, wash if necessary and pat dry. Depending on size, cut in half if necessary.

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<p>Sauté the shallot in a pan until translucent. Add the chanterelles and fry vigorously for 3 minutes while stirring. Season with salt, pepper and allspice. Add to the courgettes. Wash the rocket and spin dry.

 

Dressing:

Wash the herbs, shake dry. Pluck the leaves, blend finely with both types of oil and vinegar in a blender or with a hand blender. Flavour with salt, pepper and sugar. Pour over the courgette and chanterelle mix and mix loosely with the rocket. Arrange on plates, sprinkle with goat's cheese.

  • Pinot Blanc (trocken)

with honey and thyme Goat's cheese tower

with honey and thyme

  • 1 großer Apfel
  • 1 Rolle Ziegenkäse
  • 4 Scheiben Bacon
  • 4 TL Honig
  • 1 TL Thymian
  • 4 Blätter Eichblattsalat
  • frische Zweige Thymian zum Garnieren
  • nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Preheat the grill to the highest setting.

 

Fry the bacon slices without fat in a non-stick frying pan until crispy and drain on a piece of kitchen paper. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.

 

Wash the apple, core it with a corer and then cut it into four, approx. 1 cm thick slices. Slowly fry the apple slices in the remaining bacon fat until just cooked, using the tip of a knife to check the doneness. Place the apple slices in a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle with thyme and place a crispy fried bacon slice on top of each one.

 

Divide the goat's cheese into 4 thalers and place one thaler on each apple slice, sprinkle with thyme again and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of honey.

 

Bake under the grill until the cheese is lightly browned.

 

Serve the goat's cheese and apple tartlets on a lettuce leaf or, if you prefer, on a bed of lettuce (add a honey-flavoured dressing)

  • Dornfelder (halbtrocken & feinherb)

with apples and nuts Tarte flambée

with apples and nuts

  • 250 Gramm Weizen- oder Dinkelmehl
  • 150 Gramm Crème fraîche
  • 150 Gramm körniger Frischkäse
  • 2 säuerliche Äpfel
  • 1 - 2 Zwiebeln
  • 30 Gramm Walnüsse oder Haselnüsse
  • 15 Gramm Hefe
  • 1 EL Zucker
  • 2 EL Olivenöl
  • 2 Zweige frischer Thymian
  • Nach Bedarf Salz & Pfeffer
  • 200 ml warmes Wasser

For the yeast dough, sieve the flour into a bowl and make a well in it. Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water and pour into the well. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rise for 10 minutes. Then knead the pre-dough with the dough hook of a hand mixer and gradually work in the warm water, the oil and a teaspoon of salt. Leave the kneaded dough to rise until it has doubled in volume (approx. half an hour, in a warm place).

 

Cut the onions into wedges. Roughly chop the nuts. Core the apples, cut into slices (the thicker the apple slices, the juicier the tarte flambée) and sprinkle with the sugar.

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<p>After resting, divide the dough and roll out each half on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (top and bottom heat)

 

Spread the crème fraîche evenly over the tarte flambée and top with the apple slices and onion wedges. Spread the fresh cheese on top and sprinkle with the walnuts. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

 

Bake on the lowest shelf for 12-15 minutes and sprinkle with the fresh thyme before serving.

  • Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
  • Riesling (lieblich)

(artificial potted meat) in the style of the house "Kunschthäwwelfläsch"

(artificial potted meat) in the style of the house

  • 1 kg Schweinekamm
  • 2-3 ganze Zwiebeln
  • nach Belieben Lorbeerblätter, ganze Nelken, gemahlener Kümmel, Pfefferkörner
  • 500 ml Rivaner oder Silvaner
  • nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer

A few days before preparation, have a piece of pork neck picked up from the butcher. Alternatively, salt and pepper the pork neck yourself before preparation. The day before, cut into the pork neck with a sharp knife at a distance of approx. 1.5 cm, but do not cut all the way through.

 

Peel 2-3 onions, halve and cut into rings. Prepare the bay leaves, cloves, caraway seeds and pepper. Place a few slices of onion, a clove, some ground cloves and pepper in the incisions and a bay leaf in every other incision. Place the remaining onions, one or two cloves and a bay leaf in a large roasting tube, place the meat on top and pour in the white wine. Close the roasting tube tightly and leave the meat to marinate overnight in the fridge.

 

Then place the roasting tube on the cold oven rack and cook for approx. 1½ to 2 hours at 200 °C (gas mark 4, fan oven 180 °C).

  • Müller-Thurgau (halbtrocken & feinherb)
  • Silvaner (halbtrocken & feinherb)