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.
Facts
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8 - 10°
are ideal drinking temperatures
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3,5
bar minimum
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9 Monate
Fermentation in the bottle
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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 fresh chanterelles Autumn bruschetta
with fresh chanterelles
- 4 Ciabatta-Brötchen
- 200 Gramm kleine Pfifferlinge
- 4 EL kleingehackte Petersilie
- 4 Zehen Knoblauch
- 80 Gramm Pecorino (Hartkäse)
- 8 EL kaltgepresstes Olivenöl
- Eine Prise Salz & Pfeffer
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Clean the chanterelles. Sauté the parsley in a pan with half of the oil, then add the mushrooms and cook over a low heat for approx. 5 minutes.
Slice the rolls and bake for approx. 5 minutes until crispy.
Chop the garlic into small pieces, spread on the warm bread rolls and drizzle with the other half of the oil. Coarsely grate the pecorino.
Stir the chanterelle and parsley mixture into the pecorino and spread over the halves of the rolls.
- Pinot Gris (trocken)
- 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.
- Riesling (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.
<p
<p>Peel and finely dice the shallot. Clean the chanterelles, wash if necessary and pat dry. Depending on size, cut in half if necessary.
<p
<p>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)
(artificial potted meat) in the style of the house "Kunschthäwwelfläsch"
(artificial potted meat) in the style of the house
- 1 kg Schweinekamm
- 2-3 ganze Zwiebeln
- nach Belieben Lorbeerblätter, ganze Nelken, gemahlener Kümmel, Pfefferkörner
- 500 ml Rivaner oder Silvaner
- nach Geschmack Salz & Pfeffer
A few days before preparation, have a piece of pork neck picked up from the butcher. Alternatively, salt and pepper the pork neck yourself before preparation. The day before, cut into the pork neck with a sharp knife at a distance of approx. 1.5 cm, but do not cut all the way through.
Peel 2-3 onions, halve and cut into rings. Prepare the bay leaves, cloves, caraway seeds and pepper. Place a few slices of onion, a clove, some ground cloves and pepper in the incisions and a bay leaf in every other incision. Place the remaining onions, one or two cloves and a bay leaf in a large roasting tube, place the meat on top and pour in the white wine. Close the roasting tube tightly and leave the meat to marinate overnight in the fridge.
Then place the roasting tube on the cold oven rack and cook for approx. 1½ to 2 hours at 200 °C (gas mark 4, fan oven 180 °C).
- Müller-Thurgau (halbtrocken & feinherb)
- Silvaner (halbtrocken & feinherb)
Teaser
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