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 bulgur Cabbage stew
with bulgur
- 200 Gramm Zwiebeln
- 1 ganze Knoblauchzehe
- 800 Gramm Spitzkohl
- 200 Gramm Möhren
- 400 Gramm festk. Kartoffeln
- 1 EL Kümmelsaat
- 1,5 Liter Gemüsefond
- 5 EL Olivenöl
- 2 EL Tomatenmark
- 2 EL edelsüßes Paprikapulver
- 3 TL Honig
- nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer
- 120 Gramm grobe Bulgur
- 1 Bund Petersilie
- 4 Stiele Minze
- 1 ganze Zitrone
- 2 ganze Äpfel
- 3 EL Obstessig
Finely dice the onions and garlic. Clean, wash and quarter the cabbage, remove the stalk and roughly chop the cabbage quarters. Peel the carrots, halve lengthways and cut into approx. 2 cm wide pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into approx. 2.5 cm pieces. Fry the carrots in a pan without fat and set aside.
Heat the vegetable stock in a small pan. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan, sauté the cabbage in it for 10-15 minutes over a high heat until dark brown and remove from the pan.
Add the remaining oil to the pan. Fry the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the potatoes and muesli and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomato purée and paprika powder and fry while stirring. Add the cabbage, honey and caraway and pour in the hot vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Add the bulgur 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
Quarter the apples, remove the seeds, cut into approx. 1 cm cubes and add 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Pluck the herbs and chop medium-fine. Wash and dry the lemon, finely grate the zest and mix with the herbs. Flavour the stew with vinegar, salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with the herbs.
Tip: The pointed cabbage must be roasted really strongly and dark so that the aromas come out well.
- Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
- Trollinger (trocken)
with white wine Cauliflower soup
with white wine
- 3 Stück Schalotten
- 500 Gramm Blumenkohl
- 20 Gramm Butter
- 1 TL Fenchelsaat
- 50 ml Weißwein
- 800 ml Gemüsebrühe
- 100 ml Schlagsahne
- 1 Prise Zucker
- nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer
Peel the shallots and cut into slices.
Clean and chop the cauliflower.
Melt the butter in a pan, sauté the shallots with the fennel seeds over a medium heat for 3 minutes until colourless. Add the cauliflower, sauté for 2 minutes, season with salt and sugar.
<p
<p>Deglaze with white wine, bring to the boil and top up with vegetable stock and whipping cream. Simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.
Blend with a hand blender, adding stock if necessary to reach the desired consistency.
Serve drizzled with a few drops of olive oil.
- Silvaner (trocken)
the classic with a difference Franconian cider soup
the classic with a difference
- 500 ml Weißwein (Spätlese)
- 500 ml Geflügelbrühe
- 350 ml Sahne
- 30 Gramm Zwiebeln
- 30 Gramm Weißes vom Lauch
- 30 Gramm Sellerie
- 30 Gramm Karotten
- 30 Gramm Butter
- 180 Gramm Mehl
- 2 Lorbeerblätter
- 1 EL Butterschmalz
- 4 Scheiben Weißbrot
- Nach Belieben Zucker, Muskat, Zimt, Salz
Sauté the vegetables in butter until lightly browned, dust with flour and then add the vegetable stock, wine and 250 ml cream. Add the spices and simmer for approx. 15 minutes.
Remove the crusts from the slices of white bread and cut into 1 cm cubes. Fry in hot clarified butter until golden brown and season with cinnamon, whip the remaining cream until stiff.
<p
<p> Strain the soup and flavour with nutmeg and salt.
Pour into deep plates, garnish with whipped cream and the cinnamon crusts.
- Müller-Thurgau (trocken)
- Silvaner (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)
