Noble Sweet Wines
When the main grape harvest in the German wine-growing regions has ended successfully, one can observe that in certain locations individual vineyards have not yet been harvested.
Delicious, precious noble sweet wines
When the main grape harvest in the German wine-growing regions has ended successfully, one can observe that in certain locations individual vineyards have not yet been harvested. They have not been forgotten by the winemaker, rather they are waiting to become noble sweet delicacies. In favorable autumn weather, the grapes continue to develop and naturally increase their sweetness every day.
"A Gift from Nature"
Basically, one can differentiate between two methods of producing such noble sweet rarities. On the one hand there are the Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese, for which a fungus is particularly helpful, the so-called ‘noble rot’, or if you want to impress someone, cite the technical term Botrytis Cinerea. When the grapes are very ripe in autumn and it is also damp and relatively warm, this fungus attacks the grapes, making the berry skin porous and drying them up like a raisin. The water in the grape evaporates and what is left is an extremely sweet juice, from which very sweet wines are created.
During the harvest, these dried grapes are specially selected, which explains the name "Auslese" meaning choice or selection. Incidentally, the yeasts in the wine do not manage to ferment all of the natural sugar and therefore such wines generally have very little alcohol. You can also see the high sugar content, because if you swirl such wines in a glass: The consistency is thicker, almost oily. Dried berries are mostly golden yellow in color, which is caused by the noble rot, while ice wines tend to keep a light color.
More Knowledge: Quality Categories
Ideally suited for cellaring
Depending on how sweet the grapes were when harvesting, there are the gradings Auslese, Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese. Trockenbeerenauslesen are very rare, maybe even rarer than ice wines, and therefore very expensive. The most expensive Trockenbeerenauslese wines in recent years were auctioned for well over €1000 per bottle.
Due to the high sugar content, such wines can be aged for decades if properly cellared. Long aging requires a high proportion of extract substances, fruit acid, ripe sweetness and alcohol in the wine. With their finesse and harmony, older noble sweet wines offer a perfection that is hard to beat. They are ideal for special moments and the great events in life. They should be stored properly in a cool place and usually reach their prime after 5-10 years however they can keep improving and after 20 or 30 years can become sublime.
Noble sweet wines are great companions for festive occasions and an excellent aperitif that will delight gourmets. When the dinner is completed, noble sweet rarities promise a glamorous finale. They are a beautiful accompaniment to sweet dishes, especially fruity desserts, ice cream or sorbets. In the lead-up to Christmas, such sweet wines are particularly suitable for fruit cakes, which also contain raisins, for spiced cookies and gingerbread and of course as a high-quality gift.
How expensive are "Trockenbeerenauslesen"?
Trockenbeerenauslesen are very rare, perhaps even rarer than ice wines, and therefore very expensive. The most expensive Trockenbeerenauslesen of recent years was auctioned for well over 1000€ per bottle.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
with wild mushrooms Cream of potato soup
with wild mushrooms
- 300 Gramm geschälte Kartoffeln
- 100 Gramm Wurzelgemüse
- 100 Gramm Waldpilze
- 1 ganze Zwiebel
- 1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
- 30 Gramm Speckwürfel
- 40 Gramm Margarine
- 750 ml Brühe
- 200 ml Sahne
- 1 Zweig Thymian
- nach Belieben Petersilie, Butter, Salz, Pfeffer, Muskat
Clean, wash and finely dice the root vegetables. Finely dice the onion and garlic clove and finely chop the thyme. Sauté the diced bacon with the margarine in a pan until lightly browned, add the diced onion, garlic, root vegetables and thyme. Sauté, add the stock and cook for 2 minutes.
Finely grate the potatoes, add to the soup and cook for a further 5 minutes, add the cream, season and flavour. Clean, wash and chop the mushrooms and sauté in a pan with butter. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour over the soup when serving.
- Riesling (trocken)
- Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
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.
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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)
with pear wedges Chicken breast strips
with pear wedges
- 500 Gramm Hähnchenbrustfilet
- 2 reife Birnen
- 200 ml Birnensaft
- 100 ml Sahne
- 1 ganze Zwiebel
- 4 EL Olivenöl
- nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer
Cut the chicken breast fillet into strips. Peel the onion and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the meat in it. Add the diced onion and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Wash and peel the pears, remove the skin, cut into wedges and sauté in the pan. Deglaze with the pear juice and allow to reduce slightly.
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Finally, add the cream and season to taste.
- Müller-Thurgau (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Kerner (halbtrocken & feinherb)
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)
