Wine & Sweet Treats

Christmas dessert: Soaked orange cake with spiced oranges

With the combination of pastry and noble sweet wine you can experience many a pleasurable surprise!

Facts

  • Christmas biscuits

    Gingerbread, Christmas stollen, fruit bread, cinnamon stars, speculoos or vanilla crescents

  • 0.375 litre

    is the size of the small slender bottles that contain the precious Beerenauslese (BA), Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) and Icewine

Wine and baked Christmas treats

The Advent time offers a large selection of lovingly created cookies that harmonize very well with Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese as well as ice wines and bring forth completely new taste experiences.

When choosing the right wine, it is important that it does not merely accentuate the qualities of the pastry, but also adds as broad a range of aromas of its own as possible.

Take Stollen, for instance: The candied or dried fruit it contains, such as orange, lemon or raisins, make for a great alliance with noble sweet Riesling Beerenauslese, because this wine also contains nuances of dried fruit.

And even a noble sweet Riesling still shows a lively acidity, bringing a subtle finesse to the pastry it’s served with.

Vanillekipferl, traditional vanilla crescent shaped biscuits, are a true classic among the Christmas cookies. They get richer in elegant, fragrant nuances when accompanied by a mild Pinot Blanc Auslese. This taste experience will be further intensified if a pinch of salt is used in the making of the sweet pastry. The salt is a real attractant for aromas and also has a positive role to play in the combination with wine.

Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and ice wine are precious. That is why these varieties are mostly offered in small, 375 ml bottles. Just enough to experience magic culinary moments in an intimate setting. The aromas of these wines develop best when they are served not too well chilled and in small white wine glasses with bigger bowls.

Nothing will get in the way of a sweet alliance if you pay heed to the following suggestions:

The right wine companion for each treat

Buttergebäck

A classic and a favourite with purists, it is popular in all shapes. The subtle aromas of butter and caramel nuances make for an excellent combination with mild to sweet Pinot Blanc or Silvaner Auslese. The fruitiness of the wine adds an elegant note to the combination. If the pastry is very fluffy, a semi-dry to mild Winzersekt makes for an extraordinary and pleasant surprise as well.

Spritz cookies

Varieties such as traditional Spritzgebäck and nut macaroons are prepared with aromatic roasted hazelnuts. A suitable wine may be concentrated and powerful, in order to be the equal of the aromatic pastry. Well-aged Riesling Beerenauslese is an excellent choice.

Coconut macaroons

are masterpieces created from egg white, sugar and grated coconut. Their straightforward aroma goes very well with mild Pinot Blanc Auslese or noble sweet Beerenauslese. The elegant and sometimes nutty aroma of the wine combines beautifully with the coconut, making for a delicious alliance.

Spice cake

contains cocoa and typical warming Christmas spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. A Gewürztraminer Auslese is a harmonious companion in the full sense of the word. Full-bodied, mild to sweet red wines are interesting partners as well.

Cinnamon stars

are less sweet than many people assume. Their taste is defined by almonds and cinnamon and the decorative icing brings a sweet finish to the mix. Cinnamon stars like to be accompanied by noble sweet Pinot Gris Beerenauslese, because this wine accentuates the pastry’s tangy nuances.

Gingerbread

is a full symphony of aromas all on its own. All varieties, from honey cake to Pfefferkuchen, have their typical intense interplay of aromas in common, generated by ingredients such as cloves, coriander, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon – always with a touch of honey. A noble sweet Gewürztraminer or Scheurebe Beerenauslese corresponds perfectly with this honey nuance. The wines reflect the abundant spiciness and add a few interesting notes of their own.

Stollen

comes in several traditional varieties. Typical ingredients are candied orange and lemon peel as well as raisins – often previously pickled in rum – and grated almonds. This Christmas delicacy forms a wonderful alliance with noble sweet Riesling Beerenauslese, which also contains notes of dried fruit. However, a Marzipanstollen requires a wine companion with extra-spicy notes. This is a moment when a Gewürztraminer Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese can display all its strengths.

Fruit cake

is sheer abundance. It’s the ultimate Christmas delicacy, prepared with ingredients like dried fruit – such as apricots, prunes, figs and nuts – seasoned with brandy and garnished with maraschino cherries. A Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese beautifully reflects these typical aromas of dried fruit and harmonizes well with the fruit cake’s sweetness.

At what time of the year is the term "wine" most frequently googled?

Just before the Christmas holidays, the search queries for "wine" on Google reliably skyrocket every year. By the way: The search queries for the topic "fasting" multiply just as reliably every year shortly after Christmas.

More recipe ideas

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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<p>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)

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts Venison medallions

with pears, beans, parsley root and black walnuts

  • 12 Stück Rehmedaillions (a 80g)
  • 30 Gramm gebratene Speckstreifen
  • 200 ml Bechamelsauce
  • 3 EL Sonnenblumenöl
  • 8 kleine Petersilienwurzeln mit Grün (alternativ Knollensellerie)
  • 6 - 8 breite Schnippelbohnen
  • 1 große Birne
  • 4 - 6 schwarze Walnüsse
  • 100 ml Wildfond
  • 2 EL Butter
  • 2 Stängel glatte Petersilie
  • nach Geschmack Salz

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top and bottom heat. Clean, peel and trim the parsley roots. Clean the beans and cut into diagonal pieces. Blanch the parsley roots and beans separately in boiling salted water and rinse immediately in iced water.

 

Cut the walnuts into eighths and warm in the game stock. Wash the unpeeled pear, cut into eighths, remove the core and cut into thin slices. Fry the venison medallions on both sides in oil, then finish cooking in the oven for approx. 3 - 5 minutes.

 

In the meantime, toss the beans and parsley roots in melted butter and season with salt. Arrange the vegetables with the black walnuts and pear slices on large plates. Place the medallions on top, garnish with game stock, Béchamel sauce and bacon strips.

 

Tip: You can make your own black walnuts. To do this, prick the walnuts all over with a fork or skewer and place in water for 10 days. Change the water every day so that the tannic acid can drain off. Boil the nuts 3 times in salted water until they are deep black. Simmer with bay leaves and peppercorns for approx. 20 minutes until soft. Layer in preserving jars and cover with syrup. The nuts can be kept for approx. 1 year.

  • Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir (trocken)
  • Pinot Gris (trocken)

with semi-dry wines Flädlesuppe

with semi-dry wines

  • 1 Bund Schnittlauch
  • 1 Liter Fleischbrühe
  • 150 Gramm Weizenmehl
  • 300 ml Milch
  • nach Belieben Speckschwarte zum ausreiben der Pflanne
  • Etwas Salz

Make a smooth, not too thick batter from the flour, milk, eggs and a pinch of salt. Heat a heavy frying pan on a high heat, rub with bacon fat, pour in a small dollop of batter, allow to spread and fry thin pancakes (flädle).

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<p>Leave the pancakes to cool, halve and cut into thin strips.

 

Place in clear, very hot meat stock and serve immediately.

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  • Trollinger (halbtrocken & feinherb)