New Wine ("Federweißer")

If you hold the glass to your ear, Federweißer (new wine) sounds like murmuring waves. When the time of the grape harvest has come, you can get 'Rauscher', 'Sauser' or 'Brauser', these local terms are used for Federweißer in Germany, on every street corner.

If you hold the glass to your ear, Federweißer (new wine) sounds like murmuring waves. When the time of the grape harvest has come, you can get 'Rauscher', 'Sauser' or 'Brauser', these local terms are used for Federweißer in Germany, on every street corner.

Facts

  • 5 %

    by volume alcohol content

  • around 2

    million liters are sold annually in Rhineland-Palatinate

Steffen Schindler, marketing director for Wines of Germany (DWI), puts it this way: “Federweißer is a pleasure that defines autumn and the grape harvest just as much as a delicious onion tart.” Ideally, you drink Federweißer when it has come half way between grape juice and wine, when sweetness, alcohol content and fruit acidity are well balanced. At this stage, its alcohol content amounts to around 5 % vol. watch video (German language / subtitles)

How to handle Federweißer correctly

Owing to the high demand for the new wine, Federweißer is on offer all over Germany these days and can be bought in supermarkets as well as specialist wine stores. But you have to be careful when you buy it: Since fermentation continues inside the bottle, it should always be sealed with a closure that is permeable to air, so the carbonic acid can escape. The bottle should be transported standing upright at all times. Wines of Germany recommends to taste a little of the Federweißer once you have reached home. If it tastes just right: Straight into the fridge it goes, because the cold puts a stop to the fermentation process and you will be able to enjoy a perfect Federweißer for a little longer. (Video of Federweisser harvest)

If the Federweißer still tastes too sweet, keep it at room temperature and have another taste after 6-8 hours. Once the perfect degree of sweetness has been achieved, store the Federweißer in the fridge.

How much Federweißer is sold per year?

In Rhineland-Palatinate alone, about two million liters of Federweißer are sold every year.

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 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 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)

with pumpkin and white wine sauce Pasta with pumpkin and white wine sauce

with pumpkin and white wine sauce

  • 750 Gramm Butternut-Kürbis(se)
  • 3 kleine Zwiebeln
  • 2 Zehen Knoblauch
  • 1 Becher Crème fraîche
  • 250 ml trockener Weißwein
  • 500 ml Gemüsebrühe
  • 25 Gramm Parmesan oder ähnlicher Hartkäse
  • 400 Gramm Spaghetti oder andere Nudeln
  • nach Geschmack Salz, Pfeffer, Zucker
  • 4 EL Kürbiskerne, evtl. gehackt
  • nach Belieben Muskat, Thymian

Sauté the garlic and onions until translucent. Dice the butternut squash and add, season with pepper and sugar. When the cubes are still firm, pour in the white wine and vegetable stock. Continue cooking until the squash is firm to the bite.

 

In the meantime, cook and drain the pasta.

 

Add the thyme, nutmeg, salt and crème fraîche to the boiling pumpkin, bring to the boil and thicken. Stir in the parmesan and season to taste. You can also crush some diced pumpkin to make the sauce sweeter.

 

Arrange the pasta on plates and top with the pumpkin sauce.

Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

  • Scheurebe (trocken)