Pumpkin & Wine
Whether you require a companion for delicately flavoured wild 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.
Facts
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90 %
water content
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29,14
calories per 100 gram
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200
pumpkin varieties are suitable for consumption
White wines with pumpkin dishes
The subtle flavours of pumpkins, often reminiscent of nuts or young beets, are mild and suited to a wide variety of dishes: Delicate soups; heartily seasoned, exquisite vegetable side dishes – and even extraordinary roasted salads with lemon peel and balsamic vinegar. Delicately fruity Pinot Blanc and slightly mature Silvaner are the best companions for pumpkin as a main dish. The flavours of these culinary partners complement each other well. As a side dish alongside meat, a heartily seasoned pumpkin, such as the expressive Hokkaido, is an ideal companion for light red wines like Portugieser or fresh Trollinger. They are suitable playmates for the pumpkin’s subtle fruity flavours but also form a delicious alliance with heartier dishes.
When roasted, pumpkins develop pronounced flavours that are slightly reminiscent of edible chestnuts. In this guise, they go very well with expressive red wines such as Dornfelder or Lemberger.
In desserts, pumpkins show off their sweet side. However, there are suitable wine companions for this manifestation as well. Pumpkin pie with caramelized nuts pairs delightfully with a noble-sweet Riesling Beerenauslese. And for another true culinary epiphany this autumn: Try slightly fruity pumpkin pastry with a mild Riesling Auslese.
Pumpkin Varieties
Pumpkin side dishes, prepared with the orange-coloured classic varieties, love to seduce gently. The pumpkin flavours are quite delicate, restrained and easily dominated by the more expressive wine varieties. Consequently, delicate flavours are in high demand. Silvaner, Rivaner and Chasselas from Baden are perfect companions for lightly seasoned pumpkin side dishes. The flavours of the light-yellow butternut also enjoy being drenched in a delicate Pinot Gris with its harmonious nutty-buttery aromas. Pinot Gris also makes for a delightful alliance with white pumpkins and their flavours reminiscent of young beets. Those are also well rounded off by classic Rieslings.
Sweet and sour pumpkin preserves are a popular variation and a real challenge for a wine companion. A semi-dry Riesling or Gewürztraminer is the perfect partner for this potpourri dominated by acidity and sweetness. And even venturing a combination with a mild Riesling Spätlese can be a delectable choice.
Pumpkin desserts offer a wide variety of flavours and are exceptionally flexible. Try slightly fruity pumpkin pastry on an afternoon, with a mild and fruity wine such as Riesling Auslese as the companion of choice. Or tickle your taste buds with the opulence of pumpkin cake prepared with almonds and caramelized nuts, which prefers a wine companion that is its equal in seductive sweetness with spicy aromas. Pair it with a delicate Riesling Beerenauslese and indulge yourself with a true culinary highlight.
Can pumpkin be prepared sweet?
Yes! Whether as a cake, dessert casserole or sweetly preserved and paired with Riesling cream - pumpkin is a real all-rounder even in its sweet version. Sweet and sweet wines, such as Spät- or Auslesen, are recommended for these dishes.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
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.
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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 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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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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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 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)
with semi-frozen goat's milk Lavender waffles
with semi-frozen goat's milk
- 2 Stück Eigelb
- 60 ml Ziegenmilch
- 500 Gramm weiße Kuvertüre
- 125 ml Sahne
- Abrieb und Saft einer halben Orange
- 2 cl Tresterbrand
- 8 Blatt Minze
- 125 Gramm Mehl
- 50 Gramm Zucker
- 70 Gramm Butter
- 2 Eier
- 1 Messerspitze Backpulver
- 1/2 EL Lavendelzucker
- 175 ml Milch
Semi-frozen goat's milk: Beat the egg yolks and goat's milk in a bowl over a hot bain-marie until creamy. Remove from the bain-marie and beat the cream until cold. Flavour with the zest of the orange and the marc brandy.
Liquefy the couverture in a bain-marie and stir into the lukewarm egg mixture. Whip the cream until stiff and carefully fold in. Line a parfait tin (triangular or gutter shape) with cling film. Pour in the mixture and smooth out. Cover well with cling film and leave to freeze in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
About 20 minutes before serving, remove the mould from the freezer and turn the parfait out of the mould. Remove the foil and cut the semi-frozen parfait into 8 slices.
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Lavender wafers: Lightly mash the butter in a mixing bowl with a fork. Add the sugar and stir a little. Add half of the milk, the lavender sugar and the baking powder. Stir in the eggs and finally the rest of the milk. Mix everything well with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes to create a homogeneous, slightly liquid mixture. Bake the batter in batches in a waffle iron until golden brown.</p
Arrange 2 slices of semifreddo on each waffle on a flat plate and decorate with mint leaves.
- Riesling (halbtrocken & feinherb)
