Sparkling wine

Be it New Year’s Eve, a party or brunch, a Formula One or a horse race – whenever people are bubbling over with joy, it’s hard to imagine them without a glass of bubbly, the sparkling crown jewel of winemaking.

8 - 10°

are ideal drinking temperatures
3,5

bar minimum
9 Monate

Fermentation in the bottle
0-3g

residual sugar content correspond to "brut nature".

German gourmets are the world champions of Sekt consumption. And that’s why many wine estates have established Winzersekt as a fixed component on their list of offers.

Extra Effort brings Extra Flavor

Classic fermentation in the bottle: At the beginning of the production of Sekt, sugar and a special kind of yeast, able to withstand great pressure, are added to the base wine. This initiates the second fermentation, producing the CO2 that will later make the Sekt sparkle so pleasantly in the glass. The pressure exerted by the carbonic acid needs to amount to at least 3.5 bar – up to 6 bar can be achieved. In the original method of Sekt manufacturing, the so-called Méthode champenoise, and in classic bottle fermentation, the second fermentation takes place in the individual bottle.

In a dark and cool cellar, Winzersekt lies and matures on its yeast for a minimum of 9 months, sometimes for years. After this, the bottles are placed upside down into so-called riddling racks. For a period of four weeks, they get turned daily and set ever more steeply upright at the same time. At the end of this laborious process, all the yeast has collected in the bottle’s neck. The bottle necks are then immersed in a brine (a freezing cold solution) to make the yeast freeze. If the bottles are opened now, the pressure from the carbonic acid ejects the yeast clot. The technical term for this process is “disgorging”.

Since the term “Méthode champenoise” has been exclusively reserved to the products of the French Champagne region for many years, Sekt manufactured by this method in Germany uses the term traditional or classic bottle fermentation.

Designations of styles

The designations for the styles of Sekt as defined by German Wine Law are different from those of wine, because the natural carbonic acid content of Sekt reduces the perception of sweetness. Accordingly, the permissible residual sugar levels of a dry Sekt are markedly higher than those of a dry wine.

brut nature: 0-3 g/l
extra brut: 0-6 g/l
brut: 0-12 g/l
extra dry: 12-17 g/l
dry: 17-32 g/l
semi-dry: 32-50 g/l
mild: over 50 g/l

Not everything that foams is sparkling wine:

Schaumwein is the generic term for moussing, i.e. foaming wines with perlage, with a minimum pressure of 3 bar.

Sparkling wine is sparkling wine whose carbonic acid is produced during fermentation and generates at least 3.5 bar of internal pressure.

Perlwein has less pressure, the carbonic acid may also be added. Good sparkling wines are fresh, light, summery-fruity and at the same time relatively inexpensive, as they are not subject to sparkling wine tax.

Secco is the modern term for trendy sparkling wines.

Crémant can be called German sparkling wines that meet certain specifications for grape varieties, harvest and fermentation.

Which wine-growing region was the first to introduce sparkling wines to the market?

Rheinhessen launched the first vintner sparkling wines in Germany more than 25 years ago.

Varietals

with chanterelle and onion leek, served with potato and grilled cheese ragout in grilled tomato Chop of Hunsrück veal

with chanterelle and onion leek, served with potato and grilled cheese ragout in grilled tomato

4 x 300 Gramm Kotelettes
250 Gramm Pfifferlinge
4 große Kartoffeln
2 große Grilltomaten
180 Gramm Flammkäse
50 Gramm Knollensellerie
200 ml Spätburgunder
200 ml Sahne
50 Gramm Butterschmalz
2 EL Butter
1 EL Rapsöl
6 Stück Lauchzwiebeln
1 kleine Knoblauchzehe
je 1 Zweig Thymian & Rosmarin
je 1 TL Majoran & Oregano
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Peel the potatoes, celery and garlic clove, crush the garlic and cut the potatoes and celery into small cubes. Heat the rapeseed oil in a pan, add the potato and celery cubes, sauté briefly and top up with ⅔ of the cream. Season with salt, pepper and the crushed garlic and leave to simmer for approx. 6 minutes. Add the oregano, marjoram,

add a little thyme and the diced flambé cheese and remove from the oven immediately.

Season the veal chops with pepper, fry in the pan in hot clarified butter for approx. 3 to 4 minutes on both sides and then cook in the oven at 160 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. Then leave the meat to rest briefly.

Cut the grilled tomatoes in half, remove the skin, place on a baking tray and fill with the potato and flambé ragout. Place the baking tray in the oven with the chops for approx. 6 - 7 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of butter and the sprig of rosemary to the roasting mixture, deglaze with the Pinot Noir, reduce a little and refine with the remaining cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Clean the chanterelles and spring onions. Wash the spring onions well, cut into 5 cm pieces, blanch briefly in salted water and rinse in ice water. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a pan, add the chanterelles and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the spring onions and the rest of the thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Riesling (trocken)

Light and fluffy: cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit Cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

An airy cashew coconut mousse with passion fruit

400g Cashewkerne
400ml Haferdrink
6EL Agavendicksaft
6EL Kokosflocken
4 Passionsfrüchte
1 Prise Vanille

Place the cashews in a container and add enough water to cover the cashews sufficiently. Place the cashews in the fridge to soak overnight.

(With a high-performance blender, 3-4 hours is also sufficient.)

Drain the water and place the cashews in the blender with the oat milk, agave syrup and coconut flakes. Add the vanilla and blend until the mousse is creamy and no longer contains any chunks.

<p>Divide the mousse between four glasses. Halve the passion fruit, scrape out the flesh with a teaspoon and place on top of the mousse. Decorate with coconut flakes.

Pinot Blanc (süß & edelsüß)
Riesling (süß & edelsüß)

Cashew Kokos Mousse mit Maracuja transparent

with shrimps Pumpkin soup

with shrimps

1 kleiner Hokkaido-Kürbis
1 Zwiebel
5 cm Ingwer
2 EL Butter
750 ml Gemüsebrühe
300 ml Kokosmilch
12 mittelgroße Shrimps
2 EL Olivenöl
Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer

Peel and dice the pumpkin, onion and ginger and sauté in the butter.

Deglaze with the vegetable stock and sauté for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft.

Sauté the shrimps in a little olive oil and leave to cook over a low heat for a few minutes. Place on wooden skewers and keep warm in aluminium foil.

When the vegetables have been steamed until soft, blend finely with a hand blender. Stir in the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the soup in large cups and garnish with the shrimp skewers.

Freshly baked white bread goes well with this.

Muskateller (halbtrocken & feinherb)
Federweißer (brut nature)

with ribbon noodles Coq au Riesling

with ribbon noodles

1 ganzes Huhn
0,4 Liter Riesling
0,2 Liter Sahne
1 kl. Glas Cognac
2 Stück Schalotten
1 Stück Knoblauchzehe
1 Stück Eigelb
1/2 Bund Petersilie
1 EL Mehl
50 Gramm Butter
1 EL Olivenöl
nach Belieben Salz & Pfeffer

Carve the chicken. Heat approx. 50 g butter with 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the chicken pieces until light brown (without the lid). Season lightly with salt.

Finely chop the shallots, peel and finely chop the garlic. Chop the parsley and add everything to the meat. Sauté briefly with the pan closed. Pour the cognac over the meat and light it (flambé). Deglaze with 1/3 litre of Riesling and leave to simmer for half an hour over a low heat. If necessary, add a little more wine and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces and keep warm for a short time. Mix 1 tbsp of flour with 1 egg yolk and the cream and whisk into the sauce. Flavour with salt and pepper. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Serve immediately.

This goes well with tagliatelle.

Variant:Fry 150 g fresh mushrooms in 50 g butter and add.