Fondue & Wine
Long winter evenings and New Year’s Eve are excellent opportunities for a fondue or raclette in delightful company. And the enjoyment is enhanced if the culinary diversity is complemented by suitable wines. Ernst Büscher of Wines of Germany (DWI) recommends: “Ideally, you should already consider your guests’ wine preferences when you choose the style of the fondue.”
Facts
-
100 degrees
hot grease or broth
-
Infinite
variations to choose
A great variety of nuances is added by the many potential side dishes and condiments, which should also be considered when you chose a suitable wine. “The sauces are frequently more dominant in taste than the meat you are using,” Ernst Büscher explains. A fruity, slightly hot chutney, for instance, makes for a harmonious combination with a semi-dry Riesling. However, rich mayonnaise-based sauces correspond ideally with powerful Pinot Gris, and fragrant dips with an Asian touch like to enter into a playful liaison with fruity Pinot Blanc, Silvaner or a fresh Pinot Noir rosé.
The broad range of available fondues and raclettes offers a great diversity of exiting potential combinations with German wines. Wines of Germany (DWI) offers you a few guidelines for the suitable choice of wine:
Cheese fondue
is mostly prepared with melted Gruyère, white wine and spices. A powerful Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc, for instance from Baden, is the right companion for this rich dish. Traditional side dishes for the cheese fondue are mixed pickles, small gherkins and sometimes Bündnerfleisch. The acidity of the pickles makes the fondue more easily digestible, but it has to be taken into account as well when choosing the right wine. The acidity is nicely offset by a Rheingau Riesling with a little residual sugar. This wine also adds a fresh touch when you’re enjoying the cheese all by itself.
Meat fondue
often offers a broad selection of beef, pork or poultry. The pieces of meat are cooked in hot oil and seasoned with a variety of dips. Within this broad range of aromas, a truly versatile wine such as a fruity-fresh Pinot Gris from the Pfalz is recommended. A Pinot Noir Weißherbst is another wine that can play alongside all kinds of meat fondue. Particular care needs to be taken if you’re serving hot dips. The spiciness increases the perception of alcohol. Thus hot dips should be accompanied by light wines such as Riesling or Pinot Blanc Kabinett. Suitable red wine companions for spicy dishes are Pinot Noir or Lemberger, for instance from Württemberg.
Chinese fondue
This variety uses a mild broth rather than hot oil. When cooked in the broth, the meat does not develop roast aromas and retains a milder taste. As a rule, the choice of dips reflects this mildness. A suitable wine should be able to play along with a broad range of aromas. A Silvaner or Portugieser Weißherbst from Rheinhessen is particularly suitable.
Fish fondue
a delicate variety of companionable enjoyment. In a fish fondue, you use firm-fleshed kinds of fish, but also prawns, shrimps or other seafood varieties. These are quickly cooked in a fish fond. In this case, wine recommendations focus on white wines, since their aromas are well suited to accompany the subtle diversity of aromas of the fish and dips. Classics such as Moselle Riesling are particularly good with zander, trout and redfish. Delicate monkfish and fresh prawns like to be accompanied by Pinot Blanc from the wine-growing regions Palatinate or Saale-Unstrut. In the company of richer dips – such as the popular aioli – a heartier Silvaner from Franconia works well.
Where does the term fondue come from?
Fondue derives from "fondre", French for "to melt", and is originally a dish with melted cheese.
Varietals
More recipe ideas
to sweet selections Apple doughnuts with vanilla sauce
to sweet selections
- 5 große, säuerliche Äpfel
- 200 Gramm Mehl
- 2 Eier
- 250 ml Milch
- 2 EL Rum
- Nach Bedarf Schmalz oder Öl
- Nach Belieben Zimt, Zucker, Salz
Peel the apples and remove the core, cut into finger-thick, even slices. Drizzle with rum and sugar. Leave to infuse.
Stir the batter, it should be quite thick. Turn the apple rings in it and bake floating in hot fat until golden brown.
<p
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with cinnamon and sugar.
- Riesling (süß & edelsüß)
- Scheurebe (süß & edelsüß)
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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Leave the pancakes to cool, halve and cut into thin strips.
Place in clear, very hot meat stock and serve immediately.
<p- Trollinger (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.
<p
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 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)
